Neck and shoulder stiffness

[MKB38]

I have Aortic Stenosis and am waiting for a date to have AVR. I get quite a bit of neck and shoulder stiffness if I do too much, and I don't know if it's linked to the condition or not. My question is, would it be okay to take Ibruprofen to help with the pain? Any thoughts please?

[Hidden]

Hello there - sorry to to hear about your neck and shoulder stiffness. Ibuprofen is usually safe to take with this condition, but just check in with your local pharmacist too to make sure it won't interfere with any other medications you're taking. Once you have your surgery date, it's best to stop medications that have some blood thinning properties, such as ibuprofen, about a week beforehand.

It's also worth mentioning that following your surgery (I'm assuming it's open heart) that your arm and shoulder movements might be restricted for the first few weeks of recovery because of pain and inflammation. If you think this is likely to cause you some problems have a chat with your surgical specialist nurses about pain relief, and perhaps when the physio comes to see you on the ward mention it to them too as they might be able to recommend some exercises for you.

I hope this helps, Chris

[MKB38 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for the advice. I don't take any medication at the moment, so I'm sure it will be fine. I really appreciate the support I get from this forum Thank you.

[Hidden in reply to MKB38]

You're welcome I'm so glad our forum is useful for you! Chris

[Ethel13]

Hi MKB38

I agree with Chris. My preferred pain relief is ibuprofen and paracetamol taken together. However since I have been taking apixaban which is one of the new anticoagulants I can't take ibuprofen.

I hope you get your pain under control soon.

Dory x❤️💕❣️

[Fredders]

Just be careful with ibuprofen that you don't take it on an empty stomach, can damage the stomach lining.