Abstract
Background/aimThis was a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled study.Thyroidectomy is a frequently performed surgical procedure and head and neck extension during this operation facilitates surgery. Patients may experience postoperative neck pain and cervical range of motion (ROM) limitation due to the surgical position following thyroidectomy. It was aimed herein to investigate the short-term effects of kinesiotaping (KT) applied to the cervical spine on neck pain, ROM, and disability in patients following thyroidectomy. Materials and methodsA total of 74 patients were randomly assigned to be treated with either KT (Group 1, n = 37) or sham taping (Group 2, n = 37) using a computer-generated random number list. Neck pain, cervical ROM, and neck disability were evaluated with a visual analog scale (VAS), inclinometer, and the Neck Disability Index (NDI) questionnaire, respectively. ResultsThere were no significant differences with respect to age, sex, educational background, or body mass index between the groups.While there were no significant differences with respect to improvement of the VAS and change of the ROM and NDI values between the groups, patients in Group 1 needed less paracetamol than patients in Group 2 (P = 0.011). ConclusionThis study showed that cervical KT application following thyroidectomy does not have a positive effect on neck pain, ROM, or disability, but nonetheless, it reduces analgesic consumption.
Highlights
Head and neck surgeries, such as thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy, are some of the most common surgical operations
While there were no significant differences with respect to improvement of the visual analog scale (VAS) and change of the range of motion (ROM) and Neck Disability Index (NDI) values between the groups, patients in Group 1 needed less paracetamol than patients in Group 2 (P = 0.011)
This study showed that cervical KT application following thyroidectomy does not have a positive effect on neck pain, ROM, or disability, but it reduces analgesic consumption
Summary
Head and neck surgeries, such as thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy, are some of the most common surgical operations During these procedures, the patient is placed in the supine position with neck extension in order to provide better access to the gland and facilitate the surgical operation [1]. Patients may experience postoperative posterior neck pain, occipital headaches, shoulder and neck movement difficulties, shoulder stiffness, and cervical range of motion (ROM) limitation due to the surgical position [2,3]. These symptoms may be observed for a long time after surgery and may even negatively impact the patients’ quality of life [2,4]. The degree of neck extension and risk factors such as advanced age and the presence of spondylosis and/or spinal stenosis are considered by clinicians before medical procedures requiring prolonged neck hyperextension [1,8,9]
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