A postoperative shoulder exercise program improves function and decreases pain following open thoracotomy: A randomised trial

Abstract

Question: Does a postoperative physiotherapy exercise program incorporating shoulder exercises improve shoulder function, pain, range of motion, muscle strength, and health-related quality of life in patients undergoing elective pulmonary resection via open thoracotomy? Design: Randomised trial with concealed allocation, assessor blinding, and intention-to-treat analysis. Participants: 76 patients who underwent pulmonary resection via open thoracotomy. Intervention: All participants received standard medical and nursing care involving a clinical pathway. The experimental group also received physiotherapy interventions that included daily supervised, progressive exercises until discharge and ..