Don't forget to do neck and shoulder exercises after laryngeal cancer surgery

Do you know anything about laryngeal cancer? Do you know how to take better care of yourself for laryngeal cancer? Let's learn about this together.

For patients with advanced laryngeal cancer or those whose larynx is mostly invaded by tumors, total laryngectomy and partial laryngectomy are the main treatments. About 40% of laryngeal cancer patients need total laryngectomy because of the large lesion area. However, after total laryngectomy, the patient breathes through a tracheostomy in the neck, and there is no airflow in the mouth, so he cannot speak normally. Therefore, it is best to carry a security ID card with you, and write your name, age, address, and contact number on the card, and especially note that you have undergone a total laryngectomy, just in case.

After laryngeal cancer surgery, patients can do some exercise to help them recover their physical strength. The amount of exercise should be increased gradually, and patients should not rush for quick results. Neck and shoulder function exercises are especially recommended. This is because some patients need to undergo neck lymph node dissection at the same time as total laryngectomy. After surgery, the neck and shoulder muscles are damaged, causing patients to be unwilling to move more due to pain and discomfort, which leads to muscle atrophy and limited upper limb movement, affecting their quality of life.

If functional exercises are performed as early as possible, these complications can be avoided. Neck exercises include forward bending, backward bending, left and right side bending, left and right rotation, etc.; shoulder joint functional exercises include six movements: forward raising, backward extension, side raising, adduction, internal rotation and external rotation. Patients need to practice under the guidance of professionals to gradually restore the lost functions.

In addition, the recurrence and metastasis of laryngeal cancer often occur within two years after treatment. During this period, you must go to the hospital for regular checkups, which are generally done in the third, sixth, and twelfth months after discharge, and then every other year. Of course, if there is a lump in the neck, the swelling of the neck does not subside but worsens, breathing difficulties, coughing up blood, bad breath, etc., you should go to the hospital for a checkup at any time. The checkup includes palpation of the neck and chest X-ray.

The above is some knowledge about laryngeal cancer that we have prepared for you today. We hope it will be helpful to you. If you have any other needs, you can also consult our online consulting experts of Feihua Health Network. We are always here to answer your questions. Feihua Health Network is always by your side and cares about your health issues! Feihua Health Network wishes you good health!