06/02/2026
If we’re talking about women’s health, this topic deserves to be part of the conversation.
As a physical therapist who has undergone a mastectomy with reconstruction and a recent revision — and as someone who has treated and spoken with so many women who have gone through the same process — I can confidently say:
We can and should be doing better.
Hills I will die on:
1️⃣ Women should be referred to physical therapy immediately following breast reconstruction — not once there’s already a problem.
2️⃣ Recovery guidance should actually make sense.
It should not be an arbitrary number of weeks of complete rest or months of avoiding shoulder/chest use without considering tissue healing, surgical approach, or the individual patient.
3️⃣ More movement is often better in the early weeks following reconstruction.
Not aggressive movement.
Not reckless exercise.
Strategic movement.
Walking, breathing exercises, neck mobility, hip mobility, and simple at-home lymphatic drainage techniques can often begin within days to weeks after surgery while still fully respecting healing tissues.
Huge shoutout to Dr. Michael Zenn for being an incredible plastic surgeon who is open to learning, growing, and having conversations about how we can continue improving outcomes for women after reconstruction.
