Having to undergo surgery whether elective or emergency can be a daunting time.
What is Pre-operative Rehabilitation?
Most people understand the need for rehabilitation post surgery but benefits of exercising prior to surgery are often overlooked. Pre-operative Physiotherapy is a course of physiotherapy aimed at improving your strength and range of motion prior to undergoing surgery. The program is tailored to your injury, type of surgery and your end goals.
What are the benefits of Pre-Operative Rehabilitation?
Studies have shown that a 6 week exercise program prior to surgery can lead to:
- increased strength in the affected area
- increased function in the affected area
- reduce pre and post operative pain
- a shortened length of stay in hospital
What does Pre-operative Rehabilitation involve?
Our programs include:
- Full Assessment to understand your bodies requirements
- A full understanding of recovery time lines
- Unique progressive loading program specific to you and your injury
- Understanding of self management techniques, when and how to use them
- Access to any equipment that your might require pre or post surgery
- Digital access to your unique exercise program
What should I expect?
It is recommended to do 30-60 min of strengthening exercise at least 3 times per week prior to joint surgery. Our Physiotherapist are skilled in designing programs to meet each injuries unique requirements.
What is Post-operative Rehabilitation?
Post operative rehabilitation will usually start in the hospital under the guidance of a physiotherapist. The physiotherapist will visit you at your bedside and take through the surgeons protocol of exercises. Often you will be discharged with your surgeons protocol and exercises that they want you to follow. Please bring these to your first appointment post surgery.
What are the benefits of Post-Operative Rehabilitation?
- improve strength in the affected and surrounding areas
- restore range of movement
- reduce and effectively manage post-operative pain
- encourage optimal recovery
What does Post-operative Rehabilitation involve?
- Full Assessment to understand your condition
- Reducing pain and swelling
- Restoring Range of Motion with hands on techniques
- Improving strength
- Understanding self management techniques, when and how to use them
- Understanding of recovery time and what to expect
Every surgery and every person is different in regards to healing rates, swelling and scarring.
You should expect to have a protocol to follow from your surgeon upon leaving the hospitals. Ensure that you bring these to your first physiotherapy session. It is generally recommended to do a some amount of exercise often throughout the day. This may be as simple as foot pumps or shoulder pendulums.
After every surgery there will be some swelling and pain. Your specialist will prescribe medication as required, your next best friend is usually ice. Please ensure that the ice is wrapped to protect your skin.
Common Surgeries
- Joint replacement – Knee, Hip, Shoulder
- Arthroscopies – Ankle, Knee, Hip, Shoulder plus others
- Reconstruction of ligaments and tendons – ACL, ankle or rotator cuff
- Fracture Stabilisation
- Spinal Surgery – neck, mid or low back
- Other musculoskeletal surgeries
Why book with Vitalis Physiotherapy?
Our physiotherapists have extensive experience in both pre and post surgery rehabilitation programs, from simple arthroscopes to complex reconstructions and total joint replacements, we have pretty much seen it all.
All of our programs are unique depending on the type of surgery, your surgeon’s protocol and your goals, be it returning to the sport you love, playing with your kids or grand kids or just getting back to daily life.
