Pain after neck dissection

Hi. I’ll tag peter who has managed his neck dissection really well and has posted some excellent answers in the past.  PFJTHS 

Have you any access to some physiotherapy? Maybe ask your team if the hospital can point you in the right direction? 

Hi Dani, thanks for replying, I am currently seeing a physiotherapist 6 weekly but I am unable to complete exercises properly due to the pain in my shoulder, I also have an exercise plan to complete at home, again   not very successful with this.

Gary

Hello GF1, 

I’m wondering if you’ve been offered any steroids to help with the pain? 
I was on a steroid to help with muscular shoulder pain , although the pain was a side effect of immunotherapy not surgery it did help. I think it’s not advisable to take steroids long term though because they can have side effects too. . . .

best wishes,

Laura

Hi Gary. Ask if they have any low level laser therapy. It’s called photobiomodulation these days. Some hospitals are using it with good results. 

Hello Laura,I have been given painkillers which do help to an extent, surgeon told me that with him removing my spinal accessory nerve from my neck it will give me muscle wastage and pain in my shoulder, as I am new to this forum I am looking for someone who has had similar with the nerve removal

thanks

Gary

GF1 said:

I am looking for someone who has had similar with the nerve removal

Hi Gary. Put accessory nerve into the search at the top of the page. You’ll find a few mentions. 

Hi Gary - thought it might be a long shot - hoping for some good suggestions for you

L.

Hi GF1  I'm Peter.  My first dissection was to remove a suspect node - which was cancerous.  My second was to remove the remaining nodes looking for the cancer - none found.  I was fortunate that they did not have to cut any of the major nerves etc, but they did damage the accessory nerve by moving it.  My understanding is that it is easily damaged.

I ended up in the situation where I had shoulder issues on the side of the dissection.  Strangely I could easily lift a bag of cement close to my body and move it around the garden (I was building a summerhouse around 3 months post op), but I could not reach out and pick up a cup of coffee.  My surgeon basically said that was that. I went to see my GP and he organised physio (rather strange in the middle of covid lockdown).  That helped significantly but seemed to get to a plateau after a couple of months.  I incorporated the exercises into my normal life as part of just doing things and realised after around 18 months post surgery that more or less full movement had returned.

Time seems to be the great healer, but I appreciate that may not be on your side.

Having said all that, previously I did suffer significant pain and limited movement in both shoulders (independently) about 10 years ago.  That was something totally different and probably caused by previous occupational damage.  This is now returning on the opposite side to my dissection.  Once again physio cured that (I rejected the shoulder surgery option).  The physio said the cycle of damage to healing was around 3 years - and was right.  It may be something not connected to the cancer that is going on - again I appreciate that does not really help.

The common thread is good physio and time.

Hi GF1 I had a neck dissection a few weeks ago. I would say your problem is your job as you said its very demanding . Try doing a less demanding job imho.  good luck 

Hi Peter, thank you very much for your reply, I suppose your right, good physio and time is the way forward, I see my surgeon 9 months post Op on 23rd Jan so I will see what he has to say, I am still off work and am not looking forward to going back offshore again when or if I get fit enough again

cheers

Gary