Randomized Clinical Trial: Effect of an Exercise Routine on Postoperative Shoulder Pain in Total Laparoscopic Hysterectomy

This is a clinical trial aimed at understanding the impact of a shoulder exercise routine on postoperative shoulder pain in patients who have undergone laparoscopic hysterectomy.

**Main Questions:**

1. Does implementing a shoulder exercise routine immediately after laparoscopic hysterectomy reduce postoperative shoulder pain?

**Brief Explanation:** We want to see if doing shoulder exercises right after laparoscopic hysterectomy can help reduce the pain they might feel in their shoulders. This kind of pain can happen because of the gas used during the surgery. Using exercises could be a cost-effective and easy way to help patients recover better after the surgery.

**Hypothesis:** We think that doing shoulder exercises right after laparoscopic hysterectomy will lower the amount of shoulder pain patients experience after the surgery.

**Objective:** Our goal is to find out if a shoulder exercise routine can make a difference in how much shoulder pain patients have right after laparoscopic hysterectomy.

**How We'll Do It:** This study aims to evaluate the impact of a shoulder exercise routine on reducing postoperative shoulder pain in women who have undergone total laparoscopic hysterectomy at the National Institute of Perinatology. Recognizing the high prevalence and intensity of post-laparoscopy shoulder pain, the study compares the effectiveness of shoulder exercises to hand exercises in managing this pain. Patients, selected based on specific inclusion and exclusion criteria, will be randomly assigned to either the shoulder or hand exercise group. The exercise regimen involves performing specific movements at regular intervals during the immediate postoperative period, except at night. Pain intensity will be measured using a Visual Analog Scale at various intervals postoperatively. The study controls for several variables, including visceral and incisional pain, duration of pneumoperitoneum, analgesic use, and patient characteristics like BMI and comorbidities, to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the exercises' effectiveness. The hypothesis tests whether shoulder exercises can reduce shoulder pain more effectively than hand exercises. This research could have significant implications for enhancing recovery and pain management strategies post-laparoscopy.