About Breast Cancer & Pain

We are so glad you are here!

This neurobiology of pain education was created with you in mind. Through my work as an oncology physical therapist—and through my own lived experience with excessive chest pain after preventive mastectomies, chronic migraines, and more than 20 years of leg pain following a back injury—I have learned just how complex and personal pain can be. Those experiences have shaped both my clinical practice and my passion for learning, teaching, and sharing what truly helps. My goal is to use what I have uncovered to reduce suffering and offer hope to those navigating breast cancer, with and without persistent pain.

This education is meant to build step by step, so we encourage you to start at the beginning and move through it in order. A first read-through usually takes about 30–45 minutes. You may find it helpful to return to certain chapters over time—especially as the ideas and examples begin to land in new ways. Changing how we think about pain takes time, and that is completely normal. Be patient with yourself. Be kind to yourself. Learning often happens through repetition, so come back as often as you need. We’d love to see you again and hear your stories along the way.

All of us at BrCAcademy are wishing you a healthy, meaningful, and supported recovery.

Always, Jodi

Chapter 1:

Pain is Necessary

White red-headed female chef recoils in pain after touching a hot stove burner.

Upset young Native woman with dark hair, a reddish brown short -sleeved shirt, and a beaded necklace is feeling sharp pain in her left arm.

Chapter 2: Context and Pain

Goalkeeper in glasses dives to block soccer ball from entering goal and gets kicked in her ankle by an opposing player.

Chapter 3: Your Nervous System and Pain

Worried, grey-haired, slender white woman sits on a couch, wringing her hands and thinks about health, treatment, financial, and family concerns.

Chapter 4: Brain Retraining

Red-headed white woman with a bob haircut and a yellow T-shirt says 'My nervous system is extremely adaptable!' next to a brain diagram

Chapter 5: Changing Your Self-Talk

An auburn long-haired white woman stands with one hand on her stomah and one hand on her forehead, looking uncomfortable. A chart is present stating: Negative expectations amplify pain: stomachaches, headaches, fatigue, muscle pain, lightheadedness.

Chapter 6: Pain is Real and Necessary

Slender white woman with short blond hair grimacing in pain from stepping on a sharp object on the ground.

Chapter 7: The Effects of Surgery & Inflammation on Pain

A 60-something Asian woman grimaces in pain after surgery, holding her left chest as she reaches overhead. Thought: Forgot not to reach after surgery, hurting.

Chapter 8: Acute & Chronic Pain

A young breast cancer survivor wearing a pink winter cap and a hoody that says "breast cancer survivor" clutches her left chest in pain while she stands in a forest with fresh snow on the trees.

The same breast cancer survivor is wearing a pink baseball cap with shorter hair and is wearing a pink T-shirt that says "Breast cancer fighter" with a white ribbon on it. She is smiling calmly and is standing in a verdant forest.

Chapter 9:

The Effects of Radiation Therapy on Pain

Pain after radiation therapy is a bit trickier than post-surgical pain. You may have heard from your caregivers that radiation is the gift that keeps on giving. While radioactive energy is applied only during your active radiation treatments, its effects on the tissues can persist for 1–2 years after treatment ends. During this time, you may experience intermittent sharp, shooting pains or discomfort. You are not radioactive, but the lingering effects of radiation on the treated tissues can continue to cause symptoms for quite some time.

A young long-haired blonde white woman with a gold nose ring and gold hoop earrings is grimacing in pain from her left breast. She is wearing a pink tank-top and the pain is represented by yellow sparks.

Chapter 10: Getting Help for Pain after Radiation

The PT with short dark hair, chunky black glasses, and the black zip-up BrCAcademy vest explains to the woman in the pink tank-top that radiated tissue inflammation will decrease over time and that calming thoughts can support healing.

All images contained within BrCAcademy’s About Breast Cancer & Pain were generated using artificial intelligence and are the exclusive intellectual property of BrCAcademy. The original written and educational content was created by Jodi Winicour, PT, CMT, CLT-LANA, and is likewise the exclusive property of BrCAcademy. All academic and scholarly sources referenced in the development of this educational material are cited in the accompanying reference list.

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