Are you scheduled for a total joint replacement? How about an ACL repair? A shoulder arthroscopy? All of these procedures are examples of orthopedic surgery–and all will require extensive orthopedic rehabilitation afterward.
Rehabilitation with Joint Effort Physical Therapy is essential for a successful recovery after orthopedic surgery. Whether it’s a knee replacement, hip surgery, or a rotator cuff repair, the right rehab can make a significant difference in your healing process, helping you
Orthopedic surgery involves procedures that correct issues with bones, joints, ligaments, and muscles–and rehabilitating afterward can take a long time. After such surgeries, physical therapy helps ensure that you effectively restore strength, mobility, and function.
Ultimately, orthopedic rehabilitation aims to maximize the benefits of your surgical procedure, helping get you back to your daily activities with less pain and more confidence. To learn more about the process, keep reading–or call our Hot Springs, AR clinic for more personalized guidance.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Orthopedic Rehabilitation
Comprehensive Assessment
Orthopedic rehabilitation often starts before you even go in for your procedure. Before your surgery, we’ll evaluate your current physical condition, including strength, range of motion, and any limitations. This pre-surgery assessment helps create a baseline for your personalized rehab plan. After surgery, we’ll conduct another assessment to determine the surgery’s impact and set realistic recovery goals.
Immediate Post-Surgery Care
Your rehabilitation starts as early as the first few days after your surgery. While most of the emphasis is on managing pain and swelling, we’ll also introduce early mobilization techniques and careful movements to promote blood flow, facilitate healing, and prevent long-term complications. Techniques like ice therapy, compression, and elevation help control inflammation.
Manual Therapy
Manual therapy is a hands-on approach that helps reduce pain, improve mobility, and encourage healing. It consists of several different techniques, including the following:
- Joint mobilization, in which we guide a joint through its current range of motion, helping to increase mobility over time
- Soft tissue manipulation, a massage-like technique used on your muscles, tendons, and ligaments
- Myofascial release, which involves releasing restrictions in the connective tissues to help reduce pain
We’ll incorporate manual therapy throughout the orthopedic rehabilitation process whenever needed.
Strengthening and Mobility Exercises
As you progress through your recovery, we’ll start incorporating exercises to improve mobility and strength. These exercises will target the specific muscles and joints affected by the surgery, and we’ll adjust them as you improve.
Generally, we focus on improving mobility first, although we will incorporate muscle activation exercises early. As you improve, we’ll increase the intensity of those strengthening exercises,
Functional Training
Functional training comes in toward the end of your orthopedic rehabilitation. It involves exercises that mimic everyday activities, with the goal of helping you regain the ability to perform everyday tasks like walking, climbing stairs, or carrying objects.
If your surgery impacted your balance (for example, if you had a total knee replacement), we’ll include targeted balance and gait exercises. For athletes, functional training will focus on sports-specific movements, like running or jumping.
By the time you begin functional training, your surgical site has healed–but you still need to continue rehabilitation. Functional training is still crucial for ensuring that you can return to your normal routine safely and confidently.
Return to Activity
The final phase of orthopedic rehabilitation marks the transition back into your regular routine. Whether it’s sports, work, or hobbies, we’ll guide you on pacing yourself, recognizing warning signs, and modifying activities to prevent re-injury.
Have You Thought About Your Orthopedic Rehabilitation Yet?
Going in for surgery can be scary–but often, it’s only the beginning. To ensure the best outcomes from your procedure, comprehensive rehabilitation with the Joint Effort Physical Therapy physical therapists is a must.
From the pre-surgical assessment to your return to normal activities, our team uses evidence-based techniques to help you avoid long-term pain or other complications. If you’re scheduled for surgery, schedule an appointment today to learn how we can help you thrive!
