Do you have a surgery coming up that you’ve been anxious about? It is normal to be nervous when planning for surgery, wondering how quickly you’ll be able to return to all the things you love. Fortunately, knowing you have a post-surgical physical therapy plan set beforehand can help ease some of your stress.

Why do I need surgery?

When conservative treatment options for an injury or health condition fail to provide effective relief, many physicians will recommend surgical correction. Some common conditions that may lead to surgery include, but are not limited to:

• Total hip replacements
• Full or partial knee replacements
• Rotator cuff tears
• ACL, MCL, and/or meniscus repairs
• Heart surgery – ablations, stent placements, cardiac pacemakers, etc

The impact of these surgeries on your body should not be understated. Most surgeries incur at least some degree of pain, inflammation, mobility limitations, and swelling. To complicate matters, you likely were already experiencing pain and dysfunction prior to your operation!

To accommodate healing tissues and/or to avoid recurring dysfunction, it is likely that you will have to learn how to do certain things all over again, like walking and getting dressed. Our physical therapists can teach you how to perform tasks safely while following critical post-operative guidelines. These guidelines are often outlined by your surgeon and could include safe positions for your hip, knee, sternal, spine, non-weight bearing guidelines, etc.

How can I benefit from post-surgical rehab?

Another critical reason for selecting post-surgical physical therapy is its ability to help you reduce or completely avoid prescription painkillers, including opioids. An opioid epidemic is currently gripping the country and impacting every socioeconomic class. For this reason, the CDC advises people to choose physical therapy over prescription painkillers whenever possible.

Get started on your post-surgical treatment plan today:

While your physician may recommend pain management drugs, physical therapy has been known to relieve pain without the need for these drugs. Pain-killing drugs mask the pain, while physical therapy aim to resolves the underlying issue causing the pain. Your physical therapist will use a multi-modal approach, including therapeutic exercise and activities, manual therapy, neuromuscular re-education, home exercises, modalities, and education to achieve this goal.

Whatever you may need surgery for, Physical Therapy Solutions can help you get to your optimum levels of function afterward. Our physical therapists will create an individualized treatment plan that will include targeted stretches and exercises to help you recover and get back to your normal daily life.

We are dedicated to making sure you are living a healthy life, even after your post-surgical rehabilitation treatment is completed. A portion of your treatment plan will also include education on any lifestyle and/or nutritional changes you can make in order to optimize your long-term health, avoid injuring yourself and avoid the need for additional surgeries in the future.

The days and weeks following a surgical procedure may result in physical limitations. Our physical therapist can advise you on ways to accommodate these limitations, such as how to go up and down the stairs, put on clothes, or get in and out of a car. By making these adjustments, you will be able to move around comfortably while also working to restore the normal range of movement in your body.

If you are planning on having a surgical operation in the near future, don’t wait to set up your post-surgical rehabilitation- call Physical Therapy Solutions today! We’ll provide you with everything you need to get back to your life as quickly and easily as possible!