INTRODUCTION: Mastectomy results in damage to the nerves of chest, also inappropriate long-term positioning during surgery leads to upper cross syndrome. Stretching exercise can be effective in treating this syndrome that there is consensus in the type of exercise; therefore, this study was performed with aim to investigate the effects of eight weeks of stretching exercise on upper cross syndrome in mastectomized women. METHOD(S): This randomized controlled clinical trial study was performed in 2018 on 30 women after mastectomy in Imam Reza Hospital. The subjects were divided into two groups of intervention (performing 24-hour stretching sessions) and control (without any intervention). Frontal, kyphosis, shoulder, and pain angles were measured before and after the intervention. Data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 20) and the ANCOVA and T-test. p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULT(S): Intervention led to positive and significant effects in the variables of kyphosis (p = 0.003, control group 39.01 +/- 03.41, intervention group 43.51 +/- 03.90), head forward (p = 0.041, control group 32.13 +/- 03.25, intervention group 29.91 +/- 02.98) and pain (p = 0.0000, control group 65.02 +/- 11.93, intervention group 30.14 +/- 06.13) between the two groups. According to the results of ANCOVA, there was a significant difference between the two groups in kyphosis angle (p = 0.003), head forward angle (p = 0.019) and pain (p = 0.003) after exercise. CONCLUSION(S): The variables of pain, head angle and kyphosis, which are disabling variables following upper transverse syndrome, were improved by eight weeks of stretching exercises, and the intervention in this study could be useful.

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