Shoulder muscle recovery after oral cancer neck surgery with physical therapy

This study is looking at how 8 weeks of physical therapy can help shoulder muscles recover in people who have had oral cancer surgery. Specifically, researchers will use ultrasound imaging to measure changes in a muscle called the upper trapezius and see how this connects to your ability to move your shoulder. They want to understand whether ultrasound is a useful tool for tracking muscle recovery after cancer surgery.

When oral cancer patients have neck surgery to remove lymph nodes, a nerve that controls shoulder movement can sometimes be damaged. This often causes shoulder pain, weakness, and difficulty moving the shoulder. This study exists to better understand how physical therapy helps these muscles heal and whether ultrasound imaging can help doctors track that recovery.