Shannon Esau

Specialized clinical care for breast cancer recovery, lymphedema, and post-surgical rehabilitation.

Recovering from breast cancer treatment - whether surgery, radiation, mastectomy, lumpectomy, or reconstruction - takes more than time. It requires specialized clinical expertise, individualized guidance, and a therapist who truly understands the physical and emotional complexity of what you are navigating. Shannon Esau is that therapist.

Shannon is a registered Physiotherapist and Certified Lymphedema Therapist with deep experience treating people who have been through breast cancer treatment - including lymphedema management, axillary web syndrome, radiation-related soft tissue injury, and post-surgical recovery. She graduated from the University of Manitoba's Faculty of Medical Rehabilitation in 2008 and launched her clinical career at Grace Hospital in Winnipeg, where she developed more than a decade of hands-on rehabilitation experience across pre- and post-surgical care, musculoskeletal, and complex medical conditions. She subsequently advanced her practice at the Breast Health Centre as a Certified Lymphedema Therapist - making her one of a relatively small number of clinicians in the province with hands-on experience in acute care lymphedema management and breast cancer rehabilitation.

Over her career, Shannon has built strong, trusted collaborative relationships with breast surgeons, oncologists, radiation oncologists, plastic and reconstructive surgeons, lymphedema nurses, and allied health teams across Winnipeg. Those relationships allow her to function as a fully integrated member of a patient's broader care team - communicating directly with treating physicians, aligning her treatment protocols with post-surgical and oncological care plans, and ensuring that her physiotherapy component of recovery is coordinated with, not separate from, everything else a patient is managing.

Shannon has joined Liberty Athletic + Medical Supplies to advance her skills as a custom garment fitter, working with patients to manage lymphedema of the arm, breast, trunk, and chest wall. She has completed extensive training in custom arm sleeves and gloves, alongside chest and trunk compression with compression bras and vests. She has also recently teamed up with Tara from The Unexpected Gift to offer custom breast prosthesis and mastectomy bra fittings - supporting the community from the very beginning of treatment through their lifelong journey of recovery and survivorship.

Her clinical specialization is precise, evidence-informed, and continuously evolving. Shannon treats patients managing arm and breast lymphedema, axillary web syndrome (Cording), and mobility limitations arising from mastectomy, lumpectomy, reconstructive surgery, and radiation therapy - including radiation fibrosis, scar tissue restrictions, and secondary movement impairments that develop over time following treatment. Her approach combines Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD), Complete Decongestive Therapy (CDT including MLD and bandaging), progressive rehabilitative exercise, compression support, custom garment assessment and fitting, and detailed self-management and risk-reduction education - built around each patient's specific clinical presentation, lifestyle, and long-term goals.

Shannon has also been recognized by peers in her field as a guest lecturer at the University of Manitoba's Faculty of Medical Rehabilitation - sharing her clinical knowledge with the next generation of rehabilitation professionals and contributing to the academic understanding of acute and chronic oedema management, including the bariatric patient in acute care. Patients consistently describe her as calm, knowledgeable, and completely practical. She does not overwhelm. She does not rush. She takes the time to understand every patient's full clinical and personal picture before building a plan that is achievable, carefully sequenced, and designed to produce lasting, meaningful results.

Outside of the clinic, Shannon enjoys playing tennis, biking, and exploring Manitoba's outdoors with her husband and three children. Having grown up across small communities in Manitoba, Alberta, and on Vancouver Island, she carries a deep appreciation for the role that a strong, supportive community plays in navigating any life journey - including the one her patients are walking through with her.