Post-thoracotomy pain is one of the most severe types of post-surgical pain. When pain after thoracotomy is not treated effectively, it causes decrease in pulmonary compliance, inability to cough and deep breathing. Increased secretion leads to atelectasis and pneumonia. After surgery, early mobilization, providing airway cleaning (humidification, aspiration, forced expiration, assisted coughing), oxygen therapy, controlled breathing exercises, the use of incentive spirometry and such selected exercises, including posture and general exercises physiotherapy and rehabilitation approaches can prevent complications. A carefully planned pre and postoperative chest physiotherapy and rehabilitation program minimizes postoperative complications; it will restore normal function in these patients. Post-surgical physiotherapy applications should be combined with pain therapy for effective participation of the patient.
Local anesthetics, opioids and different special analgesia techniques including intercostal, paravertebral, interpleural and epidural blocks are used to relieve pain after thoracotomy. However, these techniques have serious side effects such as nausea, vomiting, respiratory depression, and sleepiness. It has been reported that the use of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS), in addition to traditional analgesia methods, may reduce the use of analgesics, side effects, and postoperative recovery period, and is useful for pain control. After cardiac surgery, TENS has been found useful in the treatment of postoperative incision pain. It has been reported that TENS therapy after thoracotomy as effective as patient-controlled analgesia.
Therefore, this study planned to investigate the effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation combined with physiotherapy and rehabilitation program on pulmonary function and functional exercise capacity in patients undergoing thoracic surgery.
