@article{article_1135265, title={The Effect of Head-Neck Stretching Exercises After Thyroidectomy on Postoperative Level of Pain and Disability}, journal={Genel Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi}, volume={4}, pages={177–186}, year={2022}, author={Türkmen, Açelya and Çavdar, İkbal and Aksakal, Nihat}, keywords={Tiroidektomi, Boyun Ağrısı, Boyun Germe Egzersizleri, Rahatsızlık}, abstract={Objective: To determine the effect of post-thyroidectomy head-neck stretching exercises on postoperative level of neck pain and disability. Methods: This randomized controlled study was conducted between January 2019 and August 2020 in a university hospital in Istanbul. The sample consisted of 82 patients randomized to receive head-neck stretching exercises or routine care. The head-neck exercises were applied to the intervention group in synchronously with the researcher on the first postoperative day. The patient was asked to perform the exercises 3 times a day, in the morning, noon and evening for a month. Only scales were applied to the same ranges in the control group. Results: Most of the patients (79.2%) participating in the study were women. The diagnosis of 62.19% was multinodular goiter. 70.73% of them had undergone total thyroidectomy surgery. The average of the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) of patients in intervention group on first postoperative day was lower (2.20± 2.22) than in control group (3.00 ± 2.10). There was no significant difference between patients in intervention and control groups in discomfort and pain in the neck after 1 week and 1 month of surgery. However, a significant difference within the groups in neck pain and discomfort at first week and first month was observed (p <0.05). Conclusions: It was found that the head-neck stretching exercise was an effective nursing intervention in reducing postoperative neck pain and disability in the patients. Head-neck stretching exercise can be used as a non pharmacological treatment method in postoperative nursing care.}, number={2}, publisher={Necmettin Erbakan Üniversitesi}