Postoperative Pain, Surgery, Thyroid Cancer, Thyroid Diseases
Conditions
Keywords
Tele-exercise program, Telehealth, Health-related quality of life, Postoperative rehabilitation, Thyroidectomy, Neck exercise
Brief summary
This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness, safety, and implementation outcomes of a WeChat mini program-supported tele-neck rehabilitation exercises for improving early postoperative neck recovery after thyroidectomy.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALWeChat-supported Neck Rehabilitation Exercise
WeChat mini program-supported neck exercise management includes daily exercise reminders, exercise check-ins, symptom reporting, automated abnormal symptom prompts, and standardized remote feedback from the research team.
BEHAVIORALStandardized Postoperative Care and Video Education
This intervention consists of standard clinical postoperative care and discharge education, encompassing wound management, follow-up appointments, and generic neck activity guidelines. Prior to discharge or upon clinical stability, participants undergo a one-time, face-to-face training session with research staff featuring practical exercise demonstrations and behavioral precautions, and are provided with identical instructional video materials for home reference.
Sponsors
Shanghai 6th People's Hospital
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 60 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Undergoing thyroid surgery * Postoperative condition stable, with the attending physician assessing the patient as fit for neck movement * Willing to participate in the study, complete scheduled follow-ups, and sign a written informed consent form
Exclusion criteria
* History of prior thyroid or neck surgery * History of cervical spondylosis, cervical spine surgery, neck trauma, or other conditions affecting neck mobility * Postoperative complications rendering the patient unsuitable for neck movement training, such as confirmed recurrent laryngeal nerve injury, chyle leak, or complications requiring reoperation or prolonged drainage, or incision infection * Persistent postoperative dizziness or other conditions unsuitable for exercise * Unable to use WeChat and lacking assistance from family members
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Neck Pain and Disability Scale (NPDS) Score | Preoperative baseline; the day of drainage removal; and 7, 14, and 30 days after drainage removal | The NPDS is used to evaluate post-surgical neck pain and its multi-dimensional impact on daily living, emotions, work, and social activities. The total score ranges from 0 to 100, with higher scores representing more severe neck pain and structural functional impairment. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Neck Movement Pain Score | Preoperative baseline; the day of drainage removal; and 7, 14, and 30 days after drainage removal | Assessment of localized pain severity provoked during active cervical movements, including neck flexion, extension, left/right lateral flexion, and left/right rotation. Each of the six movements is scored categorically as 0 (painless), 1 (mild pain), or 2 (severe pain), yielding a cumulative score range of 0 to 12. Higher total scores indicate more pronounced motion-induced cervical pain. |
| Health-related quality of life | Preoperative baseline; the day of drainage removal; and 7, 14, and 30 days after drainage removal | Health-related quality of life will be assessed using the EuroQol 5-Dimension 5-Level questionnaire (EQ-5D-5L). The descriptive system assesses five dimensions: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression, with five response levels for each dimension. |
| Incidence of Surgical Complications and Intervention-Related Adverse Events | Up to 3 month post-operation | Safety endpoints mapping the frequency and severity of post-surgical complications (e.g., wound bleeding/hematoma, incision dehiscence, surgical site infection) or any adverse events deemed by the investigator to be potentially related to the physical exercise regimen (e.g., severe motion-induced pain exacerbation, acute dizziness). |
| Cervical Range of Motion (ROM) | Preoperative baseline; the day of drainage removal; and 7, 14, and 30 days after drainage removal | Objective clinical measurement of neck mobility, quantifying the exact degrees of cervical movement achieved during forward flexion, backward extension, left/right lateral flexion, and left/right rotation, assessed by a blinded investigator. |
Countries
China
Contacts
CONTACTLing Zhan, Dr
Outcome results
None listed