Gynecological cancer is the umbrella for the ovarian, cervical, vulva, fallopian tubes and endometrium cancers. So as these cancers are on their inclination in last decades so as the complications behind such as gynecological cancer related lymphedema (GCRL). GCRL is occurred due to the scarring of the inguinal lymph nodes or the removal during the treatment and is managed through rehabilitation tool of complex decongestive therapy and intermittent pneumatic compression as prevention and management but not cured.
Physiotherapeutic rehabilitation goals are to reduce the lymphedema, but the rehabilitation is skipped with gait training. This study focusses on the literature studying the long-term effect of gait training as added and essential tool for GCRL patients.
The data was searched with keywords on the scholar sites; PubMed, Google scholars, Cochrane and Medline and selected according to the criteria.
Literature provided the data assessment of gait deviation seen in lower limb lymphedema patients in unilateral and bilateral as there is the alteration ground reaction force, but deviation is seen more in unilateral altered on medial and lateral force and gait training enhanced and provide the symmetrical force and load shift in both lower limbs.
GCRL is a condition to managed and prevented as soon as possible as the aggravation can lead to serious complications, such as altered gait leading to biomechanical deviation seen in upper trunk leading to permanent changes and easy degeneration in the affected limb as increased load shift analysed in affected limb due to heaviness and increased circumference in the affected limb.
This study concluded from reviewing the literature that gait training is the essential rehabilitation tool in addition to the lymphedema treatment in order to rehabilitate the patient completely for better quality of life.
Gynecological cancer, Lower limb lymphedema, Gait training, Rehabilitation
