After thyroid cancer surgery, you may experience scar adhesions and neck and shoulder discomfort. In this regard, your doctor has designed a set of step-by-step rehabilitation exercises: from 6 hours after surgery to day 6 after surgery, with a focus on helping you to do your rehabilitation exercises.
Here’s how to do it:
- Fist Clenching Exercise
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After 6 hours postoperatively, when you are awake from anesthesia, you can start fist pumping. Make four 8-beats with all five fingers at the same time, twice a day.
- Upper Arm Exercise
On postoperative day 1, perform a pendulum-like movement of the upper arm, swinging back and forth and side to side, for 4 8 beats, twice a day.
- Forearm movement
On postoperative day 2, move the forearm joints, doing 4 8 beats per movement, 2 times per day.
- Shoulder exercises
On postoperative days 3 and 4, the bilateral limbs are exercised together, taking care not to differ between the affected side and the healthy side. Do 4 8-beats of each movement, 2 times a day.
- Neck Exercise
On postoperative day 6, perform neck exercises in a “front-right-back-left” sequence and then reverse the rotation. Move slowly and without force. Try to relax the neck muscles. Do 8 8-beat sets, 2 times a day.
After completing the above recovery program, it is recommended that you review it from the beginning when you have time.
Co-written by Dr. Weibo Xu, Fudan University Cancer Hospital