Shoulder pain following open heart surgery. One year on!

[Lisp27]

Good morning,

I had open heart surgery over a year now. I was made aware at the time that I would experience some 'uncomfortable' pain in my back and shoulders for some months after the op, from where my body is manipulated during the procedure.

It has since been over a year and I am suffering with terrible upper back and shoulder pain.

I have had a massage which resolved the issue for a week or so.

Has anyone else suffered from this?

If so, what treatment would you recommend?

I am reluctant to go to my GP because of COVID.

Thank you 😊

[woodbon]

Hi Why not contact your GP or cardiac nurse if you have one and discuss the pain with them. I know it's not easy contacting DR's in this crisis, but it should give you an idea of whether you need to see someone or not. I haven't had heart surgery, but I have had surgery for a duodenal ulcer which had burst and part of the pain from that was in my left 'point of shoulder' as a nerve had been effected. I'm not saying you would have the same, but it did surprise me as the pain was nowhere near the wound! Good luck for your recovery. SueX

[Midgeymoo17]

Similar issue but 3.5yrs Post my surgery.

[Hidden]

I'm only 5 months post op, and now i am at home and becoming more active, i am beginning to experience said pains. I was expecting it and am told it is not uncommon for it to last a year or more according to the severity of the surgery and your rate of recovery.

I would certainly contact your GP for advice, maybe an MRI or CT Scan could be arranged to confirm all is well (more likely an ECG - they do love an ECG 😉)

Would be interesting to read the outcome of your enquiries

[Ellester in reply to Hidden]

Hi i had a heart attack 4 months ago and had 2 stents put in. I was suffering prior to the heart attack with shoulder blade pain. I exercise every day which includes cardio and walking. Every day i have shoulder pain and always feel stiff as a board in the afternoons. My doctor has now referred me to a muscular skeletal clinic and for an mri on my lower back. May have to wait a long time for an appointment but hope it sorts things ouy.

[Hidden in reply to Ellester]

I'm finding the local Cardio Clinic is starting to get appointments out quite quickly for 12 lead ECG's and Echo's - so hope you are getting some good news as well. As for my shoulders - well i can tell when i've slept on my side during the night 😉 - or done too much with my arms

[Hidden]

Hi. It's well worth talking to your GP. I had a bypass in Feb and have had bad shoulder pain since that is only temporarily relieved with a hot water bottle and stretching. Went to see a specialist last week and was diagnosed with Scapular dyskinesis, my scapular is misaligned which is quite common after major chest surgery. Been referred for physio as it is correctable.

Hope you get it sorted.

[QuadroVEINia]

Sorry to hear of your shoulder pain so long after surgery. I’m 6 weeks post bypass and have horrendous pain in my left shoulder resorting to taking pain killers but it’s early days for me and have been advised by cardiac rehab team this should clear in time with prescribed exercises, including maintaining a rigid/shoulders back posture (easier said than done). Physiotherapist has been mentioned if it doesn’t clear for me, as has already been suggested in one of the replies above, I would explore that option if you are able to. Hope you manage to get it sorted. Good luck.

[Velena]

Hi. I had open heart surgery in June 2018 and experienced really bad upper back, shoulder and neck pain for the first 3 months after my operation. I think the fact that I had to stay in ICU for 8 days post surgery (due to complications with my heart rate which took time to settle down) didn't help, as I had to be in bed for most of that time so couldn't start to mobilise as soon as I should have been able to. After a couple of months I had a physiotherapist come to the house to give me a massage and show me a few exercises which helped temporarily but the pain came back. I got clearance from my cardiologist to start swimming again, 3 months post surgery, and the pain disappeared almost immediately after my first swim, it was wonderful.