The main muscles affected by breast cancer treatment are the pectoralis major, pectoralis minor, and latissimus dorsi.

They are directly affected by radiation, which can cause radiation fibrosis or thickening and scarring.

Radiation and tightness can also affect the muscles deeper, in between your ribs, called the intercoastal muscles. They are small and very hard to get to for hands-on manual or massage release.

They also can get tight and may cause rib pain weeks to months later.

So we want to make sure we're doing our best to care and rehab these muscles, too!

How to do this?

An important, yet simple way to do this is to add deep breaths with your stretches.

When you are in a gentle stretched position, take a deep breath, allowing your rib cage and chest to expand in this position. As you let your breath go, allow yourself to relax a little bit further into the stretch.

Hold this position for 5-10 more seconds and then release and repeat 3-5 times.

Now when you see me comment on adding a deep breath with just about all exercises on my platforms and videos, you'll know why!

💕 Looking for more help? Check out the Rehab after Radiation resource in my Breast Cancer Rehab program: [ Ссылка ]

**disclaimer: please speak with your doctor or oncology team regarding any medical concerns, as this is not personalized treatment, but rather general education

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