TALLAHASSEE, Fl. (WTXL) -- A Florida State University researcher is making some breakthroughs when it comes to breast cancer.
According to the results of a recent completed study at the university, weight training can help breast cancer survivors regain muscle and bone strength that was lost because of chemotherapy, other treatments, and physical inactivity.
For years, doctors feared cancer survivors participating in resistance training such as lifting, would actually cause injury or "Lymphedema", a major swelling along the arms or legs, due to fluid build up, damaging the lymph system.
At the end of the study, the participants saw a 12% improvement in physical activity. Plus, the survivors never had any injuries and didn't see lymphedema from the exercise.
"It's so much easier to pick up their grandchildren or they can pick up their kids and walk with them or the grand-kids", said Lynn Panton, Professor at the Department of Nutrition, Food, and Exercise Science at FSU. "They can open jars by themselves without asking their kids or their sons or their husbands to do that for them. So the strength gains that they get really translate into their activities of daily living, so that's really cool to see."
Panton says that a new study involving high, intensity, interval training (HIIT) may be done to see how effective it can be for breast cancer survivors.
For more on the resistance training study, check out the results found from the study here.
