B. B. CHINONDIRA, A.A ADAN and F.W NANGO’LE
ABSTRACT
Background: Breast hypertrophy is commonly associated with chronic neck, back, and shoulder pain. Reduction mammoplasty is recognized for alleviating these symptoms, yet regional data from Kenya is scarce.
Objectives: To evaluate the impact of reduction mammoplasty on pain relief.
Design: A prospective longitudinal cohort study.
Study Setting: This study was conducted in six surgical centers in Nairobi.
Study Subjects: Sixty-nine patients undergoing reduction mammoplasty were assessed using a pain analogue scale preoperatively and at 2, 4, 6, and 12 weeks post-operatively. Data were analyzed with SPSS version 25, employing paired T-tests and repeated measures ANOVA, with p ≤ 0.05 considered statistically significant.
Results: Participants aged 14–54 years were included, with juvenile gigantomastia being most prevalent (51%). Pain scores significantly decreased from a mean of 5.68 preoperatively to 0 at 12 weeks post-operatively (p < 0.001). No significant correlation was found between the amount of tissue resected and the degree of pain relief (p = 0.379).
Conclusion: Reduction mammoplasty provides substantial musculoskeletal pain relief in women with breast hypertrophy. These findings reinforce the procedure’s therapeutic value and support broader insurance coverage for patients experiencing symptomatic macromastia.
