Tight Muscle? 3.5 weeks post op

Hi! I have been posting on here quite a bit but I am now 3.5 weeks post-op. I noticed on my surgery side, between my incision and jaw line, there is a very tight muscle or something, I don’t know. It feels very hard and I thought it was swelling at first but now I don’t think so. Do you think this could be a muscle? Would this be a temporary issue or something permanent? It is very prominent when I turn my head. It is quite annoying. let me know your thoughts :slight_smile:

It could be a tight muscle, hard to say, but hopefully can post an image of the muscles in the area, might help you identify which one could be causing problems:
image
There have been a few discussions recently about tight muscles & the pain that they can cause, as nerves can get trapped & cause pain. Pain & tension in the masseter muscle & sternocleidomastoid muscle specifically have been mentioned, & suggestions for help. Here’s a couple of links:

If you search with these muscle names it’ll come up with more!
Hope this helps; it’s very early days since your surgery, so unlikely to be anything permanent. If it’s not too painful & your scar has healed, it’s probably okay to gently massage the area with oil.

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It’s likely the scar itself. I have started massage at week 2 because I had a lot of neck swelling. It is really likely the thickness around incision but a good PT can tell you

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Good point, Jenniferobel. Scar tissue can be tighter/less stretchy than normal skin which can cause tugging on muscles & nerves making things more uncomfy. Gentle massage does help to break up adhesions (places the scar tissue is attaching itself under the skin & reducing skin/muscle mobility) which in turn helps reduce discomfort.