Anterior chest and back pain after chest surgery may be caused by chest wounds, or the pain may be caused by pleural inflammation. If there is pain caused by incision, rehabilitation exercise is needed. If there is pleurisy, anti-inflammatory and other symptomatic treatment is needed.
1. Pain caused by chest incision: Because the intercostal nerves in the chest are widely distributed, and the lung surgery incision often causes peripheral nerve injury, thus causing pain in the front and back of the chest. At this time, it is recommended to eat fluids and exercise coughing to avoid pulling the wound and aggravating the pain.
2. Pleurisy: the pain may be caused by postoperative infection in the chest cavity or the formation of pleural effusion which stimulates the pleura. The diagnosis can only be confirmed based on chest CT or thoracentesis. Treatment is to apply antibiotics such as penicillin to fight infection or to discharge fluid by thoracentesis.
Pain that is not relieved after surgery should immediately go to the hospital for standardized treatment under the guidance of the doctor.