Post Operative Care
Your specialist should advise you when to commence physiotherapy as part of your post-operative care plan. Physiotherapist’s role in both inpatient and outpatient or private practice is to restore lost movement, strength and function to the joint concerned. There are many parts to an effective rehabilitation plan including range of motion, specific muscle flexibility, capsular mobility, stability, adjacent muscle strength as well as consideration of the entire affected limb.
The Village Physio is a preferred clinic for many surgeons on the Gold Coast and Tweed for patient post-operative care management. These include but are not limited to; ACl reconstruction, rotator cuff repair, hip & knee replacement, knee arthroscopy, shoulder arthroscopy, hip arthroscopy, lumbar and cervical laminectomy or micro-discectomy as well as post-surgical fixation surgeries after complicated fracture.
After Surgery
Getting normal range of motion back after surgery can be difficult. We can guide you on a safe return to movement and provide piece of mind to advise an appropriate rate of recovery. We use various manual therapy techniques including massage, stretching and joint mobilisation to gain lost movement safely. For example, getting knee bend after a total knee replacement can be difficult (and at times painful). Forcing a joint to bend, particularly a swollen post-operative knee, can lead to further pain swelling and stiffness. Massage, passive patellofemoral and knee mobilisations, stretching when combined with an appropriate home exercise regime completed regularly will safely restore loss movement – but perseverance can be required.
In addition to our team of post-operative physiotherapists, Brendon Burnett has co-authored the Recovery Guide series of rehabilitation guides & video’s (11) on most orthopaedic procedures. These highly detailed guides are available for patients of the clinic if required.
