Is it normal to have any type of physical therapy after VES surgery?
Are you thinking of PT for any particular problem i.e. tight shoulders/neck or lack of neck mobility?
Some of our members have elected to have PT post VES surgery if they have tight shoulder or neck muscles (traps & SCMs) as those seem to be the most common ones affected due to the accessory nerve being irritated during surgery.
Neck mobility usually returns gradually on its own, but some members have also had PT for that. Finding a good myofascial massage therapist to help ease tightness in the incision has also been mentioned though you can do gentle finger-tip massage on your incision yourself starting about 1 month after surgery. We recommend using Bio Oil, Vitamin E oil, Coconut oil or the like as a lubricant on your finger tips so they don’t drag on the incision skin.
PT should be started no sooner than 6 weeks post op & perhaps 8 weeks is better as that gives time for the post op inflammation to go down & for the incision to heal more completely.
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I have already had PT for my neck and shoulder and shoulder blades in the past. Because I have arthritis in my neck and lower back, I’ve also had injections which help. My head rotation is limited. Now I’m wondering if some of this may also be due to ES as well. I’m discovering new info each day. Thanks
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Ive been doing acupuncture and massage from week 2. I could probably use some jaw work as one side just wont calm down very much. I have felt a little locked up and my jaw clenching. I think the muscles and ligaments in my neck reacting to all the changes. Im wondering if ultrasound or red light therapy my help? Ive been using bio oil every day and gently stretching the area
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Often your neck movement will be limited initially after surgery, I did some very, very gentle stretches that I’d done pre-surgery which did help, and once members have healed it’s common to have more range of motion than before surgery…I think as @Isaiah_40_31 says, don’t rush into anything too soon 
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@bs9652 -
We have had members with limited range of neck motion due to the length or position of their styloids. Range expanded significantly once the styloids were removed. @LisaMaria recently had ES surgery & has experienced increased range of motion in her neck. That said, if it’s your arthritis that’s more the limiting factor in your neck movement, you may not notice as extreme of improvement as someone who doesn’t have cervical arthritis.
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