After Breast Cancer: An Osteopathic Approach Gold Coast

1 in 8 women in Australia will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. Thankfully the 5-year survival rate is over 90%, however as they try to move forward with their lives, they continue to deal with the long-term side effects of their treatment journey.

This treatment commonly results in significant scarring, adhesions, fibrous tissue, hard and lumpy breasts, rippled or contracted breast implants and even chronic pain. Current management is focused on exercise prescription or self-massage advice leaving a significant gap in the post-treatment care of breast cancer patients which osteopathy is well placed to help fill.

This one-day course will expand your understanding of breast cancer classification, diagnosis and treatments. You will gain an understanding of how common side effects develop based on the current research, and how to apply an osteopathic approach to help provide relief.

Course participants will leave with an understanding of the different types of breast cancer, the medical treatment these patients undertake and the impact of each of these forms of treatment on the tissues of the body. The course will explain the primary side effects these women experience and provide an osteopathic approach to caring for them during their recovery.

After Breast Cancer has a strong practical focus including treatment protocols that you can use to make a significant impact on your patients’ lives by relieving discomfort, changing distorted breasts to look and feel ‘normal’, and allowing patients to feel comfortable in their bodies again. Many of the techniques learned can be applied to post-surgical scars.

To find out more about After Breast Cancer and other Bower Bird CPD courses visit BowerBirdCPD.com/course/brea7

💡 LEARNING OUTCOMES 💡 

Theory Component

• Pre-learning video covering types, grades and stages of breast cancer and their prevalence
• Medical treatment protocols in breast cancer including lumpectomy, mastectomy, sentinel node biopsy (SNB), axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) radiation therapy, DIEP/TRANS reconstructions and more
• The impact on the body of each modality of treatment particularly on tissue texture including external and internal scarring, fibrous tissue and adhesions
• Other common side effects including Axillary Web Syndrome (cording), Post Mastectomy Pain Syndrome, seroma and induration
• Who can we treat and at what stage of their treatment can you safely and effectively intervene?
• An osteopathic perspective on managing patients during and after their medical treatment protocol
• The future of osteopathy in this field – current treatment protocols and their limitations and how you can help

Practical Component

• Clinical assessment of the breast patient
• Internal and external scar tissue and adhesions
• Treatment of cording and capsular contraction
• Symptomatic relief for chemo patients
• Course Details

👩‍🏫 THE PRESENTER 👩‍🏫

Amanda Hannaford is an experienced osteopath who works exclusively with breast cancer patients.  She currently practices as part of the interdisciplinary team at the Northern Beaches Breast Clinic and is the founder and director of Restore Health & Wellness in St Leonards, Sydney. She also joined the Mater Hospital’s Centre For Wellbeing in 2022.

Amanda’s patients are referred by Oncology Breast Surgeons, Radiation Oncologists, Medical Oncologists and McGrath Breast Care Nurses.  She is enthusiastic about the future of osteopathy in this field and has developed her After Breast Cancer CPD course to encourage other osteopaths to feel comfortable to care for these patients in their own practices.

Amanda has been practicing in Sydney for 20 years and has been an osteopathic university lecturer and a registration board examiner.

Register here for the event