Supervisor Last Name: Weber Supervisor First Name: Michael
McGill Dept/School: Dept. Surgery, Division of Orthopeadic surgery
Faculty Professor (Full, Associate or Assistant): Assistant
Email: michael.weber@hotmail.com Phone No. (optional):
Research Field: Spine, MSK and Plastic Surgery Proposal No. (1 or 2): 1
Research Location (McGill or affiliated institution): Montreal General Hospital
Ethics approval will be required for proposed project (Yes/No): Yes
Proposed project will involve chart reviews (Yes/No): Yes
Project Title (maximum 1 line):
The effects of breast reduction mammaplasty on spinal sagittal balance, paraspinal muscles and physical function.
Hypothesis/Question to be Addressed (maximum 4 lines):
The objective of this research project is to evaluate objectively the impact of breast reduction surgery on the vertebral column, paraspinal musculature and physical function by analyzing radiological, clinical, and physical assessments before and after breast reduction surgery.
Specific Aims (maximum 10 lines):
The most common physical complaints associated with breast hypertrophy (macromastia) include neck and upper back pain, poor posture, headache, aching shoulders, painful shoulder grooves, low back pain, intertrigo and dermatitis. The pain is thought to be the result of excessive breast weight and additional stress on the vertebral column. Although several studies have demonstrated that breast reduction mammaplasty effectively relieve these symptoms, there is limited objective evidence regarding the benefits of breast reduction surgery on the spine, posture, musculoskeletal system and overall physical function. Most studies only compared preoperative and postoperative evaluations of subjective pain scales. Therefore, the objectives of this research project are to 1) evaluate the effects of breast reduction surgery on sagittal balance, change in center of gravity and spinal pain, 2) investigate quantitatively the effects of breast reduction surgery on paraspinal muscle size and composition (e.g. fatty infiltration) and 3) investigate the effects of breast reduction mammaplasty on overall physical function.
Role of Student (maximum 15 lines):
First, the student will complete a literature review to identify relevant papers and become familiar with the topic and research questions. As recruitment will have already started upon arrival of the student, he/she will be helping with scheduling follow-up visits. The student will be responsible to identify and enter clinical outcome variables from patient files into an electronic database. He/she will also be helping with spine imaging analysis and assist with data collection during the clinical physiotherapy assessments pre- and post-surgery. The student will perform the descriptive analyses and participate in the statistical analysis and interpretation of the results. It is expected that the student will write a final report and possibly prepare an abstract submission to present at a national scientific meeting. The student will accomplish these tasks with constant supervision and guidance from the research supervisor and a postdoctoral fellow through regular research meetings.