SURGICAL PRE & REHABILITATION

What Is Pre-Operative Physiotherapy?

Pre-operative rehabilitation is a structured rehabilitation program created by our experienced physiotherapists at Body Lab. This program is individualized based on an in depth assessment to determine where your body is at and focuses on increasing strength, mobility and function before surgery. This also gives our physiotherapists a chance to open a communication pathway with your surgeon and assist mental preparation/planning for the immediate post surgery period

Benefits of Pre-Operative Physiotherapy

Reduced Post-Operative Care Needs

Individuals who complete a preoperative rehabilitation program reduce postoperative care needs by up to 30%.

Restore Altered Movement Patterns and Strength/Mobility Deficits From Injury or Condition

Whilst the goal of surgery is to focus on the anatomical causes of injury (such as a torn ACL or an arthritic joint) our body develops maladaptive movement patterns to compensate for this deficit. Our experienced physiotherapists will not only focus on getting the area of concern as strong as possible pre-surgery, but ensure your whole body is taken into consideration.

Post-Operative Education: What to Expect

Our physiotherapists can help you create a plan for pain management, set up your home to make things as easy as possible, provide a home exercise program, and guide you through the post-operative period to ensure you are set up for success when you return home.

Post operative physiotherapy refers to the rehabilitation process post surgery, assisting with pain relief, range of motion, strength and overall function. Getting moving is crucial to a successful recovery. When you commence post operative physiotherapy will depend on the type of surgery you’ve had, and whether you are going to inpatient rehabilitation.

Surgeries That Benefit From Post-Operative Rehabilitation

Total hip and knee replacements
Hip, knee and shoulder arthroscopies
Ligament repair e.g. AC, ACL, PCL, MCL, ATFL
Shoulder replacements and rotator cuff repairs
Spinal surgeries
Foot and ankle procedures
Cardiovascular, chest and abdominal surgery
Hysterectomies, prolapse repairs and other gynecological surgeries

Benefits of Post-Operative Physiotherapy

Pain Relief

Our physiotherapists can give you advice regarding pain management, including movement strategies, positions of comfort, pacing and timing of your exercises around any medications you might be taking. They can also offer treatment as needed, such as soft tissue massage, joint mobilisation, dry needling and taping.

Improving Strength and Function

You will likely be given exercises in hospital by your hospital physio. These exercises are great for early on but will only get you so far. You will need to be regularly modifying/progressing your exercises to ensure you build strength and improve your function. Your physiotherapist will also check that you have been doing your exercises correctly.

Goal-Based Milestones and Progressions

Everyone has different reasons for undergoing surgery. Some to alleviate pain and to improve function, others as a health necessity or to continue to participate in sport/work. Using the tissue healing time frames regarding your specific surgery and your goals, we create a personalised treatment plan to get you back doing the things you love as early as possible.

Ongoing Collaboration With Your Surgeon

At Body Lab, we understand how important communication is across all the health professionals in your team. This means we keep ongoing communication with your surgeon pre and post op to ensure that you get the best outcomes possible.

Ongoing Post-Operative Support and Return to Sport

After you’ve regained confidence in your everyday activities, our physiotherapists will guide you through the next stage — returning safely to higher-level movements while helping you maintain the great results from your surgery.

What Is Post-Operative Physiotherapy?

FAQs

If you aren’t already seeing a physiotherapist for the injury or condition requiring the surgery, as soon as you know that you are undergoing the surgery. This gives us ample time to prepare you and your body for the surgery and beyond.
We typically see most patients two weeks after their surgery to assess your body’s function and capabilities to ensure we are supporting tissue recovery as soon as possible. This will however depend on what surgery you have had and whether or not you are attending inpatient rehabilitation. If you aren’t sure when to come in, give us a call and we can work out the appropriate time for you.
This very much depends on the type of surgery you have had and what your goals are. This will be discussed at your first appointment so you have an idea of what to expect.
Again, this very much depends on the type of surgery you have had. This is something we will discuss in that first appointment so you have realistic expectations for recovery.