Musculoskeletal Signs Associated with Shoulder Pain in Patients Undergoing Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, and lung resection still represents the main curative treatment modality. Although video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery has emerged as a minimally invasive alternative, its relationship with shoulder musculoskeletal signs remains unclear.

To characterize shoulder dysfunction in patients after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery and to analyze its influence on quality of life.

A longitudinal observational prospective cohort study has been carried out in the Thoracic Surgery Service of the Hospital Virgen de las Nieves (Granada).

Fifty-nine patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery were included.

Patients were assessed before surgery, at discharge, and one month after discharge. Musculoskeletal disturbances, pain severity, and health status were assessed. Musculoskeletal outcomes measured were range of movement and trigger points, both bilaterally. Additionally, pain severity and health status were measured with Brief Pain Inventory and Euroqol-5 dimensions.

Significant differences were found at discharge in trigger points of ipsilateral and contralateral upper limbs. One month after surgery, no muscle returned to baseline measures, and ipsilateral and contralateral shoulders presented a decreased range of motion, as well as poor quality of life and high severity and interference of pain.

Video-assissted thoracoscopic surgery was associated with musculoskeletal shoulder dysfunction, which remained one month after the intervention. This musculoskeletal dysfunction included significant dysfunction in both shoulders with a decreased range of movement, an increase in trigger points, poor quality of life, and high severity and interference of pain.