Post Surgical Rehabilitation

While pain-management drugs simply mask the pain, physiotherapy helps resolve it at the source. This is done through specialized methods, techniques, and modalities, such as joint mobilizations, home exercise programs, ultrasound, and electrical stimulation.

Whatever surgery you may be undergoing, physiotherapy can help you regain your function once again. Our physiotherapist will design you a personalized treatment plan that may include targeted exercises and stretches that will maximize your post-surgical recovery.

Depending on the limitations your surgical operation brings, our physiotherapists can provide you with tips on how to safely move around while you are recovering, such as how to get in and out of a car, go up and down the stairs, or put on your clothes. We can give you adaptive tools to compensate for reduced movement, while simultaneously working to restore your body’s normal range of movement as quickly as possible.

Part of your rehabilitation process will also include education on lifestyle and nutritional techniques that will help in optimizing your long-term health. This will help you avoid re-injury, recurrent surgeries, and prolonged downtime.

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:

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

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 Edmonton, AB physiotherapists 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 hip precautions, sternal precautions, spine precautions, non-weight bearing, etc.

Both pre-and post-surgical rehab is essential elements to successful outcomes. Any type of surgery can be considered a form of trauma and can affect the body differently. Even minor and uncomplicated surgical procedures can have a major impact on your health. Because of this, post-surgical rehab with an Edmonton, AB physiotherapist is especially important, in order to make sure everything goes smoothly after your operation is done.

Individualized post-surgical rehab with a physiotherapist not only minimizes your pain and accelerates your rate of healing, but it can also reduce the chances of postoperative complications, including infections, bleeding, blood clots, muscle weakness, scar tissue, decreased function, and other factors that can negatively impact your long-term health.

Another critical reason for electing post-surgical physiotherapy 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. According to the CDC, an estimated 115 people every day die from opioid overdose, and upwards of 29% of people, prescribed opioids will end up misusing these dangerous drugs.

For this reason, the CDC advises people to choose physiotherapy over prescription painkillers whenever possible.

Any procedure of this nature benefits from post-surgical physiotherapy, including but certainly not limited to hip or knee replacement, broken bones, heart surgery, repaired ACLs or MCLs, carpal tunnel syndrome, back surgery, and more.

You may experience mild discomfort at times, but physiotherapy is not designed to hurt or cause you pain. The discomfort you feel outweighs the pain of the compromised area.

After a set amount of healing time, it is not only safe but recommended to rehab the affected area. Only work with licensed professionals to ensure your treatment is carried out in a safe manner.

Your course of treatment combines in-clinic visits with easy exercises you can also do at home.

We direct bill, so with your plan and employee number we can quickly tell you if your health benefit plan covers this type of physiotherapy. Most major insurance companies do provide coverage for post-op recovery, and our fee schedule reflects high value for our clients that do not have coverage.

We are happy to accept referrals and self-directed appointments. As a leading physiotherapy clinic in south Edmonton, your restored mobility after surgery is just a few steps away. Contact us today to learn more.