Recover Faster With Pre-Surgical Rehabilitation

It is natural to feel a bit worried about an upcoming surgical procedure. You may wonder how the surgery will go or how long the recovery period will be. A recovery plan will most likely require physical therapy treatments following surgery in order to relieve your pain and regain your function. However, many people are not aware that you can complete pre-surgical rehabilitation (or “pre-hab”) treatments to help your body prepare for the upcoming surgery.  Post-surgical functional outcomes are usually improved in patients who have sought treatment before surgery.

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Pre-hab explained

Your surgeon should recommend pre-surgical rehabilitation in order to improve the outcome of your surgery. Studies have shown that beginning physical therapy a month or so before undergoing a surgical procedure can greatly decrease your recovery time. Preparing for a surgery can be anxiety-ridden – but a pre-hab program may be able to put your mind at ease. Pre-hab treatment plans provide you with everything you need to be as physically and mentally prepared as possible for your procedure.

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6 benefits of pre-hab

There are six essential keys to pre-surgical rehabilitation and how it can help improve your recovery:

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1. Reduced pain. Pre-hab can greatly reduce your pain following surgery. This can be done through a variety of methods, including dry needling, aquatic therapy, exercise, or manual therapy.

2. Shortened recovery. Pre-hab allows for a much smoother surgical process. Having strong and toned muscles before surgery helps you get back to your regular routine much easier and quicker than it would without.

3. Improved outcomes. The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) states that pre-hab can improve the overall outcomes of surgery and it can even help in saving money if everything goes smoothly. If your muscles are strengthened prior to surgery, it is more likely that the surgery will be successful and the recovery time will be shorter.

4. Reduced complications. Pre-hab incorporates targeted exercises to help increase your strength and endurance. As a result, this can improve your immunity, meaning that the chance of infection after surgery is much lower.

5. Increased stamina. It is no secret that any surgical procedure will result in a loss of strength as your body is recovering. However, pre-hab can help in reducing how much strength is lost by increasing your stamina before the operation. In turn, this will make the recovery process much smoother since there will be less strength lost.

6. The possibility of avoiding surgery. Sometimes, pre-hab treatments can even eliminate the need for surgery altogether. While this is not always the case, some patients have actually found that their pre-hab treatments were sufficient enough in reducing their pain that they canceled their procedure. If your pre-hab treatments are successful in decreasing your pain and improving your function, you may save yourself from invasive surgery.  If your condition begins to improve considerably after starting your treatments, you’ll want to consult with your physician regarding future treatment options and the possibility of avoiding the unnecessary procedure.

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How Physical Therapy Helps in Post-Surgical Rehab

We provide rehabilitation for nearly every orthopedic surgery that is currently available. Our highly skilled and experienced physical therapists can guide you through the entire pre-surgical and post-surgical process so that you can maximize your outcomes and make the most out of any type of invasive procedure. Our goal extends beyond returning our patients to their prior level of function. We aim to decrease pain, increase range of motion, and increase strength to a degree that you can feel better than you have in years. The most common cause of an injury is to have a history of the same or similar injury. For that reason, it is important that you and your therapist work together in and out of the clinic to reach the highest functional level possible. 

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Aquatic Therapy

We utilize HydroWorx aquatic therapy when individuals are in a great deal of pain and are not able to put full weight on limbs. Aquatic therapy helps patients start rehabilitation much sooner because water provides a non-weight bearing environment. Aquatic Therapy provides low or no impact resistance, has a positive impact on motion and flexibility, reduces pressure to joints, and can increase the blood flow to injured areas.

 

Common conditions appropriate for the pool include:

• Post-operation rehab of total joint replacements

• Post-operative fractures

• Post-op ligament surgeries (ACL, rotator cuff repairs)

 

What is post-surgical rehab and what are the benefits?

Both pre- and post-surgical rehab are essential elements to successful patient outcomes. Post-surgical rehab with a physical therapist is especially important in order to make sure things go smoothly after your operation is done. This is because any type of surgery is a form of trauma and can affect the body differently. Even minor and uncomplicated surgical procedures can have a major impact on your health.

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Individualized post-surgical rehab with a physical therapist not only minimizes your pain and accelerates your rate of healing (and return to sport or work). It also reduces the chances of post-operative complications including infections, bleeding, blood clots, muscle weakness, scar tissue formation, decreased function, and other factors which can negatively impact your long-term health.

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Another critical reason for electing post-surgical physical therapy is that it can help you reduce or completely avoid prescription painkillers, including opioids. An opioid epidemic is currently gripping the country and impacting every socioeconomic class. According to the CDC, an estimated 115 people every day die from opioid overdose, and upwards of 29% of people prescribed opioids will end up misusing these dangerous drugs!

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For this reason, the CDC advises people to choose physical therapy over prescription painkillers whenever possible.

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