Capsular contracture: Modification through exercise

Abstract

This study was designed to test the hypothesis that augmentation mammaplasty patients who practice expansion exercises will have a lower grade of breast contracture than those augmentation mammaplasty patients who do not. The research design used for this study was an experimental posttest-only control group design.

Forty women between the ages of 20 and 44 who had undergone augmentation mammaplasty were selected from a plastic surgery practice in a metropolitan area. The 40 subjects were divided into two groups according to random assignment: Sample One, the treatment group, and Sample Two, the control group.

All subjects experienced the same surgical procedure except the size of the implant varied according to patient body size and structure. The postoperative care was the same for all with the exception of instruction and use of expansion exercises as developed by the researcher. The treatment group practiced expansion exercises whereas the control group did not.

All patients were examined by the same registered nurse at the 1-week, 2 week, 1-month, 3-month and 6-month postoperative visits. The grade of capsular contracture was determined at the five time periods.

The data was analyzed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, a nonparametric test designed to show the maximum difference between two cumulative distributions. The analysis of data revealed that subjects not using expansion exercises had a significantly higher grade of capsular contracture than the subjects who did. The hypothesis was confirmed at the .05 level of significance.