Post-Operative Rehabilitation
Surgery needs to be considered in the context of being able to improve your functional quality of life. Nobody sensibly wants to go through it but the effects can be dramatic often allowing you to return to activities that you may not have completed for years. Physio treatment post surgically helps to optimise your recovery. A physiotherapist will guide each stage of your recovery to maximise control and minimise pain with a well structured recovery program.
After surgery, you are generally left with swelling, muscle weakness, scar tissue, limited range of motion and decreased joint position sense and control. To ensure the best outcomes from your procedure, we believe it is important to begin the rehabilitation process as soon as possible. We will guide you through the best rehabilitation regime for your procedure with the physio consulting your surgeon throughout.
Most rehabilitation programs will go through three stages:
- An acute stage - Immediately after injury: As with any acute insult, pain, swelling and day to day functioning is impaired and must be addressed. On the surgeons advice the physiotherapist will provide early movement, control or weight bearing exercises to be completed so that complications such as post surgical stiffness dont impede your ongoing recovery.
- A middle remodeling stage: The aim is to regain normal movement and commence strengthening. In this stage the tissue pain is starting to ease and a return to more normal movement patterns can be considered. This is a great stage for the physio and the patient as the effect of the surgery can start to be uncovered.
- Functional strengthening stage: specific exercises designed to return you to normal activities. Pre surgery or injury activities can be reasonably considered at this stage. Return to work or sport or other recreation with a guided program based on your surgery, surgeons advice and nominated activity. This is the fun stage, your surgery is complete and your day to day function has improved and you are returning to those activities you have missed.