Clinical results of rehabilitation for accessory nerve palsy after radical neck dissection.
CONCLUSIONS
Occupational therapy significantly improves shoulder range of motion in patients with accessory nerve palsy after radical neck dissection, but it has limited effects on the associated pain.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the outcome of occupational therapy rehabilitation for patients with accessory nerve palsy.


METHODS
The occupational therapy group involved 35 shoulders of 29 patients with accessory nerve palsy after radical neck dissection; the control group included 10 shoulders of 9 patients who did not receive occupational therapy. All patients had a malignant tumor in the head or neck that necessitated radical neck dissection. We collected data pertaining to resting pain, motion pain, and the active and passive range of motion during shoulder flexion and abduction.


RESULTS
Occupational therapy did not adequately relieve resting or motion pain, but all patients achieved independence in activities of daily living and housekeeping activities. Although occupational therapy significantly improved shoulder elevation for all movements, shoulder elevation was significantly better for flexion than for active and passive abduction.
Shimada
Yoichi
Y
Division of Rehabilitation, Akita University Hospital, 1-1-1 Hondo, Akita 010-8543, Japan. yshimada@med.akita-u.ac.jp
Chida
Satoaki
S
Matsunaga
Toshiki
T
Sato
Mineyoshi
M
Hatakeyama
Kazutoshi
K
Itoi
Eiji
E
D020436:Accessory Nerve Diseases / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D061227:Accessory Nerve Injuries; D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000145:classification; D000328:Adult; D000359:Aftercare; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007537:Isometric Contraction / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D037981:Neck Dissection; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000502:physiology; D009788:Occupational Therapy; D010039:Otorhinolaryngologic Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D012782:Shoulder / Q000294:innervation*