What is post-surgical rehabilitation?

Surgery alone won’t get a patient back to their ideal level of function and wellbeing. Post-surgical physical therapy can make all the difference in a patient’s ability to achieve a successful outcome. A physical therapist can help post-surgical patients get moving again as soon as possible—without risking further injury or complications. The muscles surrounding the area where surgery occurred tend to become very tense during the recovery period and can add to the patient’s pain. Physical therapists are skilled in releasing that tension so the patient can move, enabling them to make a faster and more complete recovery.

What are the benefits?

Because many patients experience pain following surgery, they often receive prescriptions for painkillers—including opioids. While these medications mask feelings of pain, they do not address the cause of the pain or aid in the recovery process. This is why—even if a patient is taking prescription pain medication—it is important to supplement pharmaceutical intervention with movement-based treatment. Physical therapy helps ease post-surgical pain and helps to prevent acute post-surgical pain from becoming chronic pain if movement deficits are not addressed.