For patients who have undergone orthopedic surgery, post-surgery rehabilitation physiotherapy is often critical to their recovery.
Our physiotherapists in Orleans are familiar with guidelines commonly prescribed by doctors. We can also design your physiotherapy program to suit your individual needs following your surgical procedure.
In this post, we'll discuss post-surgical rehabilitation, its benefits and which types of physiotherapy may be included in your treatment plan.
Post-Surgical Rehabilitation
During your recovery from surgery, you'll need to work on regaining and optimizing function in your body since your muscles may have begun to stiffen and weaken while awaiting your procedure.
Many people are concerned and sometimes even fearful of movement post-surgery, sometimes to the point of withdrawing from physical activity. While these fears are understandable, it's important to re-integrate physical activity into your daily routine. Your physiotherapist can also build a pre-surgery physiotherapy program to help strengthen your muscles before surgery.
Our registered physiotherapists can assess your needs and abilities to develop a treatment plan that will support your recovery from surgery and help you regain strength and mobility so you can heal faster.
Phases of Post-Operative Rehabilitation Physiotherapy
Post-operative rehabilitation physiotherapy involves three phases, which start right after you are discharged from surgery and conclude when the recovery phase is complete.
1. Early Recovery
Alleviating pain and swelling will be the primary focus of this phase. Your physiotherapist may recommend gentle manual therapy to help you walk again and regain joint motion.
He or she may also prescribe mobility aids such as canes or walkers with instructions on how to use them. You may work on simple exercises to restore muscle function without disrupting the healing process.
2. Physiotherapy in Strength & Range of Motion
In this phase, your main focus will likely be to normalize your body's mechanisms and strength. Balance and proprioception tasks may be the order of the day, along with manual therapy to increase strength and range of motion in your joints. Mobility may be regained using soft tissue treatment.
3. Physiotherapy in Functional Restoration
This third stage of your post-operative recovery starts after you regain strength and independent movement in the second phase. In this final stage, your physiotherapist can build an exercise program for you.
This plan can be customized to fit your physical abilities, goals and lifestyle. Your physiotherapist may start by helping you engage in more challenging, specially designed balance and proprioception exercises to help you achieve a complex functional goal.
Who can benefit from post-operative rehabilitation?
Anyone who has undergone surgery or is experiencing muscle weakness, reduced mobility, stiffness and pain - and consequently, low exercise tolerance and reduced independence - can benefit from post-surgery rehabilitation physiotherapy.
What are the benefits of post-surgical physiotherapy?
While surgery can certainly treat health conditions that can't be addressed with more non-invasive methods, it may also affect you physically and psychologically, potentially causing frustration and anxiety.
Pain and inflammation are common after surgery. That said, physiotherapy can help treat these, promote early healing and help maximize your potential as you recover.
Seeing a physiotherapist can help you:
- Return to physical and recreational activities and sports
- Reduce stress and anxiety
- Build confidence
- Prevent boredom from setting in
- Find relief from pain and stiffness by exercising the muscles
- Achieve short and long-term health goals
Post-Surgery Rehabilitation Physiotherapy at Motion Works Physiotherapy Orleans
At Motion Works Physiotherapy Orleans, our registered physiotherapists can perform a detailed assessment designed to determine what's causing your pain and dysfunction. This process will allow them to develop an individualized treatment plan geared to achieving your unique goals.