Pre & Post Operative Physiotherapy at Physio Fit Adelaide
Although many surgeries are common practice and present a relatively low risk to your overall health, they still take quite a large toll on your body. What some may find shocking though, is that the “success” of your surgery doesn’t rely solely on what happens whilst you are in the operating theatre. Your surgeon will have performed a successful surgical procedure, but that is only the first step towards successful rehabilitation!
Our expert team of physiotherapists, podiatrists and remedial massage therapists in Adelaide will guide your post operative rehabilitation and provide individually tailored hands-on treatment along with an exercise program to get you back to doing the things you love again!
At Physio Fit, we work with many surgeons and medical teams from all over Adelaide.
We are trained to help you in the post-operative rehabilitation for a number of surgeries including:
- Discectomy
- Micro-discectomy
- Laminectomy
- Spinal Fusion/Stabilisation
- Shoulder Reconstruction
- Shoulder Stabilisation
- Rotator Cuff Repair
- Acromioplasty
- Shoulder Replacements
- Bicep Rupture Repairs
- Tennis Elbow Release
- Golfers Elbow Release
- Carpal Tunnel Release
- Scaphoid Fracture
- Tendon Repairs
- Hip Replacements
- Hip Labral Repairs
- Hip Arthroscopy
- Femoral Fracture
- Knee Replacements
- ACL and Ligament Reconstruction
- Knee Arthroscopy
- Meniscal Repairs
- Chondroplasty
- Achilles Tendon Repairs
- Fasciotomy
- Ankle Reconstruction
- Ligament Repairs
- Ankle Arthroscopy
- Ankle Fracture
- Heel Spur Removal
- Bunionectomy
At Physio Fit, we work with many surgeons and medical teams from all over Adelaide.
We are trained to help you in the post-operative rehabilitation for a number of surgeries including:
After surgery, it is important to begin the rehabilitation process as soon as possible to ensure that your recovery is healthy and optimised. Your surgeon may have operated on a specific part of your body, but rehabilitation is required for all of the surrounding areas as well in order to get you back to your best!
Following any operation, your muscles will be weaker, swelling and scar tissue will develop and you will have a reduction in your range of motion. The aim is to restore each of these back to normal and fast as possible. This along with your ability to return to work, sport and life after surgery is heavily influenced by participating in rehabilitation. There is substantial research to show that those who do not complete the majority of their rehabilitation program set out by a physiotherapist will experience more pain and suffer from more limitations than those who do. Furthermore, rehabilitation with a physiotherapist has been shown to reduce the rate of post-operative complications as well.
Additional benefits of post-operative rehabilitation are the positive emotional and psychological effects exercise has on the body. When we exercise, our body releases endorphins that help improve our overall well-being and mood. Along with this, we are able to manage our pain more effectively, also decreasing our reliance on using any opioids (pain medications) during our recovery.
Did you know that what you do before surgery is just as important as afterwards? Before your operation, our team can assist in preparing you and your body through tailored exercise programs we call pre-habilitation.
This allows you to increase your muscle strength and joint range of motion before your surgery as we know the better and stronger you are going in, the better you are coming out. Completing a pre-habilitation program not only allows for greater success from your operation, but also speeds up your recovery significantly after surgery as well!
After surgery, joints are stiff and sore, while muscles are tight and weak. It may seem like a good idea to rest and allow your body time to heal and recover, however that is not how the body works.
If a joint is stiff, resting and avoiding movement will only promote it to become more stiff over time. The longer joints are stiff, the harder it is to regain our mobility. Similarly with muscles, if they are weak following surgery, resting will only weaken them further. Inactivity or “rest” as we like to call it, is one of the biggest risk factors to not successfully recovering from surgery.
Yes.
No. As the old saying rings true, “Use it or lose it”.
Yes and no. Practicing the specific movements and activities that you are required to do on a day to day basis is an incredibly important part of your post-operative rehabilitation. First though, we must work our way up to that point.
If you are returning to a workplace that requires you to bend, twist and lift, then we must work to build up the muscles around your arms, shoulders, spine and legs. This is in order for you to cope with the amount of work and load you will be putting your body through once you return. Before this point, we may work on each of these areas in isolation. Eg. An upper body program, a spinal/core program and a lower body program. We may practice bending and twisting. We may even start with a general fitness program if that may also be a factor within your line of work.
Once we have worked on these areas in isolation and have built up some base strength and fitness, we can begin to combine movements and attempt to mimic the duties you will return to. The final step following this, is to then add the appropriate weight, repetition and working environment in order to make the best possible return to pre-operative function.
Best practice is that physiotherapy is to begin immediately after surgery. For surgeries which require you to stay in hospital for a few days (such as total knee replacement and total hip replacement surgery), you will have a physiotherapist visit you and guide you through the first few days. This normally involves the basics in order to allow you to leave hospital and return home. This includes walking with or without any aids, getting in and out of bed, getting in and out of a chair and showering.
Once you have returned home, it is then our job to help you return to full function and achieve any goals you have set for yourself. Our role is to challenge you and your body in a safe and controlled environment. This helps you progress from simple stretches, movements and walking to more advanced strengthening exercises and the activities you could do (or couldn’t even do) prior to surgery.
