Home → Treatment & Side Effects → Planning Your Treatment → Ask-the-Expert Conferences: Treatment Issues → May 2008: After Surgery: Short-term and Long-term Effects → Shooting pains normal in breast area? Causes?

Shooting pains normal in breast area? Causes?

Page last modified on: August 20, 2008

Question from MarieA: I am 4 1/2 years cancer-free after mastectomy of left breast and sentinel node biopsy. I had dose-dense chemo and radiation. I still get shooting pains at breast site and it takes my breath away sometimes. Is this normal and what causes it? Thank you.: Answers —Kristin Brill, M.D., F.A.C.S.: Sensitivity at the mastectomy site is common and can result from both discomfort at the scar and tenderness at the ribs. This is particularly true following post-mastectomy radiation. Stretching may help, as well as anti-inflammatory medications such as Motrin or Aleve, if you are able to take these medications.; Linda Miller, P.T.: I can't overemphasize the importance of continuing stretching long after you've had your breast cancer surgery, especially with mastectomy. The tendency will always be for that skin and pectoral muscle to tighten up, and so stretching 2 to 3 times a week may help relieve some of those long-term chronic symptoms.

On Wednesday, May 21, 2008, our Ask-the-Expert Online Conference was called After Surgery: Short-term and Long-term Effects. Kristin Brill, M.D., F.A.C.S. and Linda Miller, P.T. answered your questions about short-term and long-term side effects of breast surgery, and what you can do about them.

The materials presented in these conferences do not necessarily reflect the views of breastcancer.org. A qualified healthcare professional should be consulted before using any therapeutic product or regimen discussed. All readers should verify all information and data before employing any therapies described here.

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Meet the Experts

Kristin Brill, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a breast surgeon and clinical instructor at the Thomas Jefferson University Department of Surgery in Philadelphia, PA. She also maintains a practice in Cherry Hill, N.J. Dr. Brill is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. In addition, she has published breast cancer research in medical journals such as Annals of Plastic Surgery and Cancer, and she has presented research at the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Linda Miller, P.T. is the clinical director of the Breast Cancer Physical Therapy Center, LTD, a private practice serving the Philadelphia, PA and southern New Jersey areas. Linda specializes in treating post-operative complications of breast cancer surgery, including lymphedema.