544
Views
3
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Research Article

Association of lower extremity lymphedema with pelvic floor functions, sleep quality, kinesiophobia, body image in patients with gynecological cancers

, PT, PhDORCID Icon, , PT, PhD, , MDORCID Icon & , MD
Pages 27-34 | Received 29 Jun 2022, Accepted 29 Nov 2022, Published online: 14 Dec 2022
 

ABSTRACT

The aim was to investigate the relationship between lower extremity lymphedema and pelvic floor functions, sleep quality, kinesiophobia, body image in patients with gynecological cancer the effect of lymphedema severity on pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD), sleep quality, fear of movement, and body image in patients with lower extremity lymphedema after gynecologic cancer. A total of 103 patients (52 patients with lymphedema and 51 patients without lymphedema) after gynecologic cancer surgery were included in March-June 2022. Bilateral circumferential measurements were taken with a tape measure at different levels to create groups. These measurements determined limb volumes by summing segment volumes derived from the truncated cone formula. For data collection, all patients were presented with the Gynecologic Cancer Lymphedema Questionnaire (GCLQ), the Global Pelvic Floor Bother Questionnaire (GPFBQ), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK) and the Body Image Scale (BIS) one time. The severity of lymphedema symptoms was quite high in patients with lymphedema (GCLQ Total: 13.6) (p < .05). Patients with lymphedema had higher GCLQ total scores, GPFBQ1 (stress urinary incontinence), GPFBQ4 (urge urinary incontinence), GPFBQ8 (fecal incontinence), kinesiophobia and, body image scores than patients without lymphedema (p < .05). The sleep quality levels of patients with lymphedema and patients without lymphedema were similar (p > .05). A significant negative correlation was found between GLCQ total score and body image (p < .05). There was a positive correlation between kinesiophobia and pelvic floor symptoms and a negative correlation between kinesiophobia and body image (p < .05). In this study, it was observed that in patients who developed lymphedema after gynecologic cancer surgery, pelvic floor symptoms and kinesiophobia increased and the severity of lymphedema negatively affected body image. Reducing lymphedema in these patients may improve pelvic floor health, mobility, and body image.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Author contributions

Hanife ABAKAY: Study design, data collection, data analysis, interpretation, and writing.

Hanife DOĞAN: Study design, data analysis, Case evaluation, and diagnosis.

Ayşe GÜÇ: Case evaluation and diagnosis, data collection.

Havva TALAY ÇALIŞ: Case evaluation and diagnosis, critical review.

Additional information

Funding

The authors reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.

Log in via your institution

Log in to Taylor & Francis Online

PDF download + Online access

  • 48 hours access to article PDF & online version
  • Article PDF can be downloaded
  • Article PDF can be printed
USD 53.00 Add to cart

Issue Purchase

  • 30 days online access to complete issue
  • Article PDFs can be downloaded
  • Article PDFs can be printed
USD 444.00 Add to cart

* Local tax will be added as applicable

Related Research

People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.

Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.

Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.