Get Back to Your Normal Life After Surgery as Quickly as Possible!
Every year, our licensed physical therapists meet thousands of people recovering from surgical procedures.
Whether you’re undergoing a joint replacement, back surgery, or some other type of surgical procedure, we are confident that working with a licensed physical therapist can help you heal and get back to your active lifestyle as efficiently and safely as possible.
To learn more or to consult with one of our licensed physical therapists, contact us today!
What should I know about post-surgical rehabilitation treatments?
According to the American Physical Therapy Association, physical therapy can help not only with overall wellness, but also prevention. When the operation is done, physical therapy can help to ensure a speedy and full recovery.
Your work with a physical therapist can begin soon after your surgery – perhaps on the same day. Depending on the type of operation that you have undergone, your therapist can teach you the proper ways for getting in and out of bed, using mobility assistance devices, getting dressed, and using the restroom.
From there, physical therapy will involve helping you with recovery and getting back to a normal life. A physical therapy exercise plan will be tailored toward gradually rebuilding your strength, without the risk of tearing any sutures or reinjuring yourself.
Below are three of the main reasons why physical therapy is ideal for post-surgical rehabilitation:
1. Physical therapy helps speed up recovery time.
Our bodies are incredibly powerful and capable of healing themselves. The type of non-invasive and drug-free services and techniques a physical therapist can offer can enhance self-healing power and work with the body—instead of just covering up symptoms.
And by minimizing pain and reducing the risk of complications, your physical therapy team can help you stay on track during your recovery period so you can regain and maximize your strength, balance, range of motion, endurance, and overall function as quickly as possible.
2. Physical therapy can help you avoid complications from the procedure.
Any surgery comes with at least some level of risk for complications including postoperative bleeding, infections, range of motion limitations, and hardware malfunction. Working with a physical therapist may help reduce the likelihood of experiencing a complication, which reduces stress, saves money, and protects your short-term and long-term health.
For example, physical therapists are skilled in teaching you safe ways to move and function in your daily life. If your surgeon requests that you follow certain precautions or activity restrictions for a while following your operation, your physical therapist can teach you how to follow these restrictions and progress or modify them appropriately as time goes on.
Physical therapists can also prescribe and fit adaptive equipment such as walkers and braces to further protect your healing tissues and help you mobilize more safely.
Your physical therapist can also act as a supportive liaison between you and your surgeon and keep him or her updated with your progress and needs. This way, if any concerns arise there can be faster communication between all the need-to-know members of your medical team.
3. Physical therapy helps in both managing and relieving pain.
A physical therapist can teach you exercises, provide manual interventions like massage, and implement non-invasive modalities that can work together alleviate your pain and even reduce your reliance on pain-relieving medications, including opioids.
Many of the interventions we provide in physical therapy work directly on the central nervous system to help modulate pain signals being sent to your brain, while others help reduce inflammation, swelling, and stiffness.
Of course, pain is normal and expected following certain types of procedures, including hip and knee replacements, and taking your pain medication as prescribed can help you participate in your physical therapy more fully. So, it’s important to talk to your doctor about your pain medication options and not to stop or start taking anything without his or her input.
That said, research shows that physical therapy is a safe alternative or beneficial component to effective pain management in the post-surgical window. So be sure to talk to your doctor about setting up a referral to see a physical therapist, too!
Get started on a physical therapy treatment plan today
If you are planning on undergoing a surgery, our physical therapists can help make your recovery as easy as possible.
Please contact Zoan Physical Therapy at (864) 263-7390 today to schedule an appointment for your post-operative rehabilitation needs!