Breast Cancer Rehabilitation That Meets You Where You Are
& Addresses the side effects no one talks about
Breast cancer treatment saves lives. But many of the physical side effects from surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy are often minimized, misunderstood, or simply not discussed. Left unaddressed, they can quietly impact comfort, mobility, and quality of life for years.
It's unfortunate that most patients going through breast cancer treatment never have the opportunity to work with a physical therapist- especially because one of the most common things I hear is:
"Why didn't anyone tell me this could happen?"
If you've found yourself asking that question after a breast cancer diagnosis, you're not alone. Whether you're preparing for surgery, navigating chemotherapy or radiation, recovering from reconstruction, or years beyond treatment, breast cancer rehabilitation can help you understand the changes happening in your body—and give you a plan to move forward.
Wherever you are in your breast cancer journey, you don't have to wait until things get worse to ask for help. I would love to work together so you can live more comfortably and feel at home in your body again.
Supporting You Along Every Phase of Care
Prepare
Baseline Assessment
Establish a baseline before surgery or cancer treatment begins. We'll assess your posture, strength, shoulder mobility, and risk factors while providing education and exercises to help you recover more effectively and recognize potential side effects early.
Recover
Post-Operative Care
Whether you've had a lumpectomy, mastectomy, lymph node removal, or reconstruction, early rehabilitation can help restore shoulder mobility, improve tissue healing, reduce pain, address cording and scar tissue, and help you return to daily activities with confidence.
Maintain
Radiation + Chemo
Stay active and supported throughout treatment. During chemotherapy, we'll focus on maintaining strength, endurance, and function while helping reduce the risk of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. During radiation, we'll continue restoring shoulder mobility, monitor skin and tissue changes, manage swelling, and help you maintain your progress so you can continue moving with confidence.
Thrive
Beyond Treatment
Recovery doesn't end when treatment does. Months—or even years—after treatment, many people continue to experience tightness, radiation fibrosis, swelling, pain, weakness, or difficulty returning to the activities they love. Whether you're just finishing treatment or have been cancer-free for years, it's never too late to improve how you move and feel.
The Side Effects No One Is asking You about
Swelling and lymphedema — it's not just in the arm
Most people are told to watch for arm swelling after lymph node removal. But what is far more common is swelling in the breast, chest wall, armpit, and trunk—especially after radiation. These areas are frequently under-diagnosed and under treated, whose side effects can cause discomfort and pain that providers simply don't ask about.
Early monitoring and proactive care can:
Reduce progression of swelling
Improve tissue mobility
Minimize tissue changes, fibrosis and pain
Maintain cosmesis, symmetry and confidence
As a Certified Lymphedema Therapist, Mariel creates a treatment protocol especially for you, with a combination of manual lymphatic drainage, compression therapy and exercise to reduce swelling, improve comfort and make symptom management fit more easily into your life.
Stiffness and loss of range of motion
Side effects from surgery and radiation can impact shoulder motion—even months or years later. Muscles around the shoulder, ribcage and neck (like pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi and upper trapezius) are commonly impacted by radiation treatment. Without strategies to keep them moving, it’s easy for stiffness and discomfort to slowly become your new normal.
With the right hands-on care and a simple, personalized movement program, you can:
Restore and protect range of motion
Prevent long-term limitations
Stay active in the ways that matter to you
A strategic mix of stretching and strengthening tailored to you will help you move with confidence and return to the activities that bring you joy.
Cording hides outside of the axilla
Axillary web syndrome, also referred to as cording, is a scar tissue that develops in the lymphatic system and is most commonly found in the armpit (axilla). It can cause discomfort as a burning, pulling, achey or sharp pains that show up in the arm, forearm, wrist, hand, ribcage, breast or even back.
Cords can also show up unpredictably- from post op to post radiation to years down the road. Stretches are typically very effective to keep discomfort at bay, but specialized massage and fascial decompression are very effective if cords are persistent.
Tissue Changes
Scar tissue, cording, swelling, and radiation can all change how your tissues move, glide, and feel. While these changes are common after breast cancer treatment, they're often never explained—and many people are left wondering why their body feels so different months or even years later.
Scar tissue is a natural part of healing, but it doesn't always remodel in a way that restores normal movement. As scar tissue matures, it can form adhesions between the skin, fascia, muscles, and underlying structures. Rather than each layer gliding smoothly over the next, these tissues may become tethered together, contributing to tightness, pulling, restricted movement, or discomfort with reaching, lifting, and everyday activities.
Radiation creates changes that continue to evolve long after treatment has ended. Radiation can alter the organization of collagen within the tissues, making them more dense, less pliable, and less able to glide normally. Over time, this process—known as radiation fibrosis—may contribute to chest wall tightness, shoulder stiffness, reduced rib cage mobility, changes in posture, and discomfort with movement. The breast itself may also change in texture and mobility, often feeling firmer, denser, or less elastic than before treatment.
Swelling (edema) also changes the way tissues feel and function. In its earlier stages, edema may cause the tissues to feel soft or "doughy" and may leave an indentation, known as pitting, when pressure is applied. In other cases, fluid accumulation creates a sensation of fullness, heaviness, or a balloon-like tightness in the arm, breast, chest wall, or trunk. As swelling becomes more chronic, tissues may gradually become thicker and firmer as fibrosis develops.
Many people assume these changes are permanent or simply "part of getting older." In reality, they're often a predictable response to surgery, radiation, or swelling—and understanding why they're happening is the first step toward addressing them.
These tissue changes don't just affect comfort—they influence how your shoulder moves, how deeply you can breathe, how your muscles generate force, and how confidently you use your body. Through specialized manual therapy, individualized exercise, and education, we work to improve tissue mobility, restore healthy movement between tissue layers, and help you return to the activities that matter most to you.
A Unique Approach to Recovery
No two individuals—and no two recoveries—are exactly alike. Rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach, each treatment plan is tailored to your unique symptoms, goals, and stage of recovery. Depending on your needs, your care may include a combination of hands-on techniques and movement-based interventions designed to improve tissue mobility, reduce pain, restore function, and help you return to the activities you love.
Massage
Scar Tissue Mobilization
Trigger Point Release
Dry Needling
Myofascial Decompression
Cupping
PNF
Active Release
Manual Lymphatic Drainage
Exercise Prescription
And More!
Whether you are currently in treatment or years beyond it, pain is not something you have to accept as the cost of survival.
Your life after cancer deserves to feel whole, comfortable, and fully lived.
Help is here—for wherever you are in your journey.
What Our Clients Are Saying
Frequently Asked Questions
We do not bill insurance directly, but FSA and HSA cards are accepted for all services.
Our practice operates outside of insurance so we can offer a more personalized, unrushed experience—often at a lower upfront cost, especially for clients who haven’t met their deductible or out-of-pocket maximum. Traditional insurance-based care can come with hidden costs, shorter visits, and delays due to referrals or authorizations.
By not working directly with insurance, we’re able to:
Offer clear, upfront pricing with no surprise bills
Skip referrals and authorizations so you can begin care sooner
Provide longer, one-on-one sessions in a calm, private setting
Create treatment plans that are truly tailored to you
Offer a sliding payment scale when appropriate to support access
If you have out-of-network benefits, we’re happy to provide a superbill upon request. This can be submitted to your insurance company for possible reimbursement, depending on your plan.
If you have questions about payment options or want to talk through what feels right for you, don't hesitate to schedule a free introductory call and we would be happy to chat more about it.
Sessions can be purchased in 60 or 90 minute increments as single visits or in packages.
Sangha Yoga Members receive further discounts on all services.
To see our most recent prices and specials, click here.
No—a doctor’s referral is not required to receive physical therapy in Colorado.
This means you can schedule directly and begin care without extra steps or delays. If you’re experiencing pain, recovering from an injury, or simply want support moving better, you’re welcome to start whenever you feel ready.
If you’d like, we’re also happy to collaborate with your physician or other healthcare providers as part of your care.
Have questions or unsure where to begin? We’re always here to help guide you.
Comfort is key. For physical therapy and bodywork sessions, we often use hands-on techniques that require access to the skin. We recommend wearing comfortable, loose-fitting clothing, such as shorts and a strappy sports bra or tank top that allows for ease of movement and treatment.
For oncology and lymphedema sessions, a gown will be provided so you can feel comfortable, supported, and fully at ease throughout your visit.
If you’re ever unsure what to wear or have specific comfort needs, please don’t hesitate to reach out—we’re always happy to help you feel prepared and relaxed before your session.
We understand that the healthcare landscape is constantly changing, and rising premiums and out-of-pocket costs can make accessing care feel overwhelming. Our sliding scale is offered to increase access to care and reduce barriers, not create them.
To qualify, we simply ask for a brief, respectful conversation about your financial needs so we can agree on a rate that feels sustainable for both you and the practice. There’s no extensive paperwork—just an open, supportive discussion.
If you’re interested, please schedule an introductory call prior to your first session so we can talk through the details together.
