A pilot thoracic exercise programme reduces early (0-6 weeks) sternal pain following open heart surgery

Abstract

Aims: To investigate whether thoracic exercises result in improved pain, range of movement and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) following open heart surgery (OHS), and to evaluate patient perception of the role of thoracic exercises in recovery. Methods: A single-blinded pilot trial was conducted in a tertiary public hospital in Australia. Thirty-eight participants who underwent OHS were randomly allocated to an experimental (Group 1, n=23), or control (Group 2, n=15) group. All participants were prescribed a twice-daily walking programme postoperatively. The experimental group also completed a progressive, individualised thoracic exercise programme. Baseline pre-operative measures of ..