Effectiveness of WeChat-Supported Neck Rehabilitation Exercises on Early Recovery After Thyroidectomy

September 9, 2026 updated by: Ling Zhan, Shanghai 6th People's Hospital

Effectiveness of WeChat-Supported Neck Rehabilitation Exercises on Early Recovery After Thyroidectomy: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness, safety, and implementation outcomes of a WeChat mini program-supported tele-neck rehabilitation exercises for improving early postoperative neck recovery after thyroidectomy.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
200

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • China
    • Shanghai Municipality
      • Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China, 200233
        • Recruiting
        • Shanghai sixth people's hospital
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Undergoing thyroid surgery
  • Postoperative condition stable, with the attending physician assessing the patient as fit for neck movement
  • Willing to participate in the study, complete scheduled follow-ups, and sign a written informed consent form

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of prior thyroid or neck surgery
  • History of cervical spondylosis, cervical spine surgery, neck trauma, or other conditions affecting neck mobility
  • Postoperative complications rendering the patient unsuitable for neck movement training, such as confirmed recurrent laryngeal nerve injury, chyle leak, or complications requiring reoperation or prolonged drainage, or incision infection
  • Persistent postoperative dizziness or other conditions unsuitable for exercise
  • Unable to use WeChat and lacking assistance from family members

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: WeChat-supported tele-rehabilitation group
Participants in the WeChat-supported tele-rehabilitation group received WeChat mini program-supported postoperative neck exercise management.
Behavioral: WeChat-supported Neck Rehabilitation Exercise
WeChat mini program-supported neck exercise management includes daily exercise reminders, exercise check-ins, symptom reporting, automated abnormal symptom prompts, and standardized remote feedback from the research team.
Behavioral: Standardized Postoperative Care and Video Education
This intervention consists of standard clinical postoperative care and discharge education, encompassing wound management, follow-up appointments, and generic neck activity guidelines. Prior to discharge or upon clinical stability, participants undergo a one-time, face-to-face training session with research staff featuring practical exercise demonstrations and behavioral precautions, and are provided with identical instructional video materials for home reference.
Active Comparator: Routine care group
Participants in the routine care group did not receive WeChat mini program-supported postoperative neck exercise management.
Behavioral: Standardized Postoperative Care and Video Education
This intervention consists of standard clinical postoperative care and discharge education, encompassing wound management, follow-up appointments, and generic neck activity guidelines. Prior to discharge or upon clinical stability, participants undergo a one-time, face-to-face training session with research staff featuring practical exercise demonstrations and behavioral precautions, and are provided with identical instructional video materials for home reference.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Neck Pain and Disability Scale (NPDS) Score
Time Frame: Preoperative baseline; the day of drainage removal; and 7, 14, and 30 days after drainage removal
The NPDS is used to evaluate post-surgical neck pain and its multi-dimensional impact on daily living, emotions, work, and social activities. The total score ranges from 0 to 100, with higher scores representing more severe neck pain and structural functional impairment.
Preoperative baseline; the day of drainage removal; and 7, 14, and 30 days after drainage removal

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Neck Movement Pain Score
Time Frame: Preoperative baseline; the day of drainage removal; and 7, 14, and 30 days after drainage removal
Assessment of localized pain severity provoked during active cervical movements, including neck flexion, extension, left/right lateral flexion, and left/right rotation. Each of the six movements is scored categorically as 0 (painless), 1 (mild pain), or 2 (severe pain), yielding a cumulative score range of 0 to 12. Higher total scores indicate more pronounced motion-induced cervical pain.
Preoperative baseline; the day of drainage removal; and 7, 14, and 30 days after drainage removal
Health-related quality of life
Time Frame: Preoperative baseline; the day of drainage removal; and 7, 14, and 30 days after drainage removal
Health-related quality of life will be assessed using the EuroQol 5-Dimension 5-Level questionnaire (EQ-5D-5L). The descriptive system assesses five dimensions: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression, with five response levels for each dimension.
Preoperative baseline; the day of drainage removal; and 7, 14, and 30 days after drainage removal
Incidence of Surgical Complications and Intervention-Related Adverse Events
Time Frame: Up to 3 month post-operation
Safety endpoints mapping the frequency and severity of post-surgical complications (e.g., wound bleeding/hematoma, incision dehiscence, surgical site infection) or any adverse events deemed by the investigator to be potentially related to the physical exercise regimen (e.g., severe motion-induced pain exacerbation, acute dizziness).
Up to 3 month post-operation
Cervical Range of Motion (ROM)
Time Frame: Preoperative baseline; the day of drainage removal; and 7, 14, and 30 days after drainage removal
Objective clinical measurement of neck mobility, quantifying the exact degrees of cervical movement achieved during forward flexion, backward extension, left/right lateral flexion, and left/right rotation, assessed by a blinded investigator.
Preoperative baseline; the day of drainage removal; and 7, 14, and 30 days after drainage removal

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Rehabilitation adherence
Time Frame: Up to 1 month post-operation
Adherence will be calculated as the number of completed prescribed rehabilitation sessions divided by the number of prescribed sessions during the corresponding assessment period, multiplied by 100%. Higher percentages indicate better adherence.
Up to 1 month post-operation
Acceptability of postoperative rehabilitation
Time Frame: 30 days after drainage removal
Acceptability of the postoperative rehabilitation program will be assessed using study-specific items addressing clarity of the rehabilitation guidance, usefulness of the educational materials, suitability, perceived safety, burden, confidence in recovery, overall satisfaction, and willingness to recommend the rehabilitation approach. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree).
30 days after drainage removal

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Shanghai 6th People's Hospital

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
September 9, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 31, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
June 30, 2029

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
July 13, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 13, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
July 16, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
September 10, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 9, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
September 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 2026-KY-277(K)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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