Recover From Your Surgery as Quickly as Possible
Do you have a surgery coming up that you’ve been anxious about? It is normal to be a bit nervous when planning for surgery, wondering how quickly you’ll be able to recover. Fortunately, knowing you have a post-surgical rehabilitation 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 hip precautions, sternal precautions, spine precautions, non-weight bearing, etc.
How can I benefit from post-surgical rehabilitation?
Both pre- and post-surgical rehab are essential elements of 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 a physical therapist is especially important, in order to make sure everything goes smoothly after your operation is done.
Individualized post-surgical rehabilitation with a physical therapist not only minimizes your pain and accelerates your rate of healing, but it can also reduce the chances of post-operative 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 selecting post-surgical rehab is its ability to help you reduce or completely avoid prescription painkillers, including opioids. For this reason, the CDC advises people to choose physical therapy over prescription painkillers whenever possible.
Get started on your treatment plan today:
While your physician may recommend pain management drugs, physical therapy has been known to relieve pain without the need for them. Pain-killing drugs mask the pain while physical therapy resolves the issue where it’s originating. This is achieved with specialized methods, techniques, and modalities, such as ultrasound, joint mobilizations, laser therapy, electrical stimulation, and home exercise programs.
Whatever you may need surgery for, Cornerstone Physical Therapy can help you get to your optimum levels of function afterward. Our physical therapists will create a 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 treatments are over. Because of this, part 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. Your physical therapist can advise you on ways to accommodate such limitations, such as how to go up and down the stairs, put on clothes, or get in and out of a car. This can be done with the assistance of adaptive tools to compensate for reduced movement. By making these accommodations, 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 rehab plan with Cornerstone Physical Therapy. We’ll provide you with everything you need to get back to your life as quickly and easily as possible! So Contact us today!