There was no difference between the effect of late- and early-initiated exercise intervention .
Exercise has a small-to-moderate effect at short-term follow-up on exercise capacity and the physical component of health-related quality of life in patients operated for lung cancer .
The long-term effects of exercise capacity are unknown .
Early-initiated exercise programmes ( 2 weeks post-operation ) did not show an effect on exercise capacity .
OBJECTIVE To review the evidence concerning the effects of  postoperative exercise interventions  on exercise capacity and health-related quality of life  following resection for non-small cell lung cancer , and to review whether different initiation times of exercise produce different effects on exercise capacity .
A postoperative shoulder exercise program improves function and decreases pain following open thoracotomy: a randomised trial.
QUESTION Does a postoperative physiotherapy exercise program incorporating shoulder exercises improve shoulder function , pain , range of motion , muscle strength , and health-related quality of life in patients undergoing elective pulmonary resection via open thoracotomy ? DESIGN R and omised trial with concealed allocation , assessor blinding , and intention-to-treat analysis . PARTICIPANTS 76 patients who underwent pulmonary resection via open thoracotomy . INTERVENTION All participants received st and ard medical and nursing care involving a clinical pathway . The experimental group also received physiotherapy interventions that included daily supervised , progressive exercises until discharge and a postoperative exercise booklet on discharge . OUTCOME MEASURES Preoperatively and up to 3 months postoperatively pain was measured with a numerical rating scale , shoulder function with the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index , and quality of life with the Short Form-36 . Shoulder range of motion and muscle strength were measured in a subgroup . RESULTS The experimental group had 1.3 units ( 95 % CI 0.3 to 2.2 ) less shoulder pain ( scored /10 ) and 2.2 units ( 95 % CI 0.2 to 4.3 ) less total pain ( scored /30 ) at discharge , and 7.6 % ( 95 % CI 1.7 to 13.6 ) better function at 3 months . The Short Form-36 physical component score was 4.8 points ( 95 % CI -0.3 to 10.0 ) better for the experimental group than the control group at 3 months . Differences between groups in all range of motion and strength measures were small and statistically non-significant . CONCLUSION A physiotherapist-directed postoperative exercise program result ed in significant benefits in pain and shoulder function over usual care for patients following open thoracotomy . TRIAL REGISTRATION ANZCTRN 12605000201673
There was no difference between the effect of late- and early-initiated exercise intervention .
Exercise has a small-to-moderate effect at short-term follow-up on exercise capacity and the physical component of health-related quality of life in patients operated for lung cancer .
The long-term effects of exercise capacity are unknown .
Early-initiated exercise programmes ( 2 weeks post-operation ) did not show an effect on exercise capacity .
OBJECTIVE To review the evidence concerning the effects of  postoperative exercise interventions  on exercise capacity and health-related quality of life  following resection for non-small cell lung cancer , and to review whether different initiation times of exercise produce different effects on exercise capacity .