An Overview of Pre-Operative and Post-Operative Rehab
If you are thinking of having a major surgery soon, you must seriously consider scheduling two other very important and crucial aspects - pre op and post op rehab. Medical experts often recommend pre op and post op surgical rehab for patients having orthopedic surgery.
The type of surgeries includes foot, ankle, wrist, knee, hip, hand, shoulder, neck, and spine surgeries. Rehabilitation is beneficial for any surgical procedure. Physical rehabilitation before and after surgery can have an enormous positive impact on one’s body and its ability to recover more quickly and thoroughly.
Physical therapists can put together both the pre and post-surgical rehabilitation plan for an individual who is preparing for surgery.
Role of Pre-Operative Solutions
Pre-surgical rehabilitation comes under the category of preventive care, also called “pre-hab.” The core purpose of pre-hab is to get the body as ready as possible for a challenging situation.
During the rehab process, the patient will work directly with the physical therapist to improve the strength, movement, durability, and overall functionality in the areas and the areas around where the surgery takes place.
Athletes frequently go for pre-hab to help them prepare for a challenging sporting event that might weaken muscles or connective tissues.
The strategy benefits regular patients who are about to undergo surgery. For example, you may need reconstructive surgery on your knee. Before that, engaging yourself in physical therapy and exercise will enhance your knee’s flexibility, strength, and overall wellness before you reach your surgery date. The preparation allows your knee to undergo surgery more efficiently and paves the way for a speedy recovery. The real success of your surgery depends on your previous conditioning towards it. Your overall health state before the operation will impact the operational and post-operational success and how you will remain in a better health state.
Role of Post-Operative Solutions
Once the surgery is successfully over, you might want to schedule a course of post-surgical rehab as soon as possible to continue the results you got from pre-hab. Post-surgical physical therapy offers a controlled environment for a less complicated recovery process. Let’s see how it does,
- It helps muscles regain strength and function.
- Ensures that your joints regain their preoperative flexibility and range of motion.
- Retrains you from using a part of your body that was unusable before the surgery.
- Eases your post-operative discomfort naturally by increasing blood flow and generating fluid drainage.
- Resists spreading scar marks.
- It helps you regain your balance after a certain period.
Advantages Of Pre Op Rehab
The practice of prehabilitation helps individuals prepare physically and mentally for a surgical procedure. The benefits are:
1.Quick Recovery
You train your muscles in advance when you learn the exercises you must practice before surgery. The process makes post-surgical rehab easier and highly effective. Even a few sessions of physical therapy before surgery reduce the post op care for some patients.
2.Less Complicacy
The weaker an individual is, the person is more likely to experience complications, including infections, after a surgical procedure. Prehab can enhance strength and immunity before the surgery.
3.Less Stress & Anxiety
Patients who follow pre op rehabilitation are less likely to suffer from anxiety and stress before the surgery. The process involves physical activity to boost bodily strength, flexibility, and tolerance. As a result, it increases one’s confidence, helping the operation become successful.
Advantages Of Post Op Rehab
It is essential to begin with a post op rehab plan when your doctor affirms your health state. You will enjoy the following benefits from post-surgical rehab.
1.Improved Blood Circulation
Better blood circulation quickens the healing process and reduces the chance of blood clots. Our physical therapists recommend basic physical movements and exercises to ensure smooth blood circulation. A simple, loose massage improves the circulation system.
2.Less Pain And Swelling
Any surgery causes pain to the body in the short or long term. The right kind of post-surgical treatment helps reduce the pain and swelling you experience during your post-surgery phase. Icing and ultrasound are techniques that a physical therapist applies to lessen your pain.
3.Get Back To Daily Routine
The more quickly the patient regains physical strength, the faster you can get back to your daily routine. A simple physical therapy program targets specific areas in your body which need strength after the surgery.
What Do Physical Therapists Do?
Our physical therapists discuss your current health state and upcoming surgery with you and then draft a detailed plan, including preoperative and post-operative rehabilitation. You need to allow a few weeks, at a minimum, before your procedure so that you get the time to practice the necessary pre-hab regimen. The significant features of your pre-hab include attributing strength and flexibility to your physical state.
After your surgery, you can begin your post-operative physical therapy program. In addition to strength and range-of-motion exercises, treatments may include stability training, cold laser therapy, massage therapy, cryotherapy, or electrical muscle stimulation. The techniques are effective in providing synergistic healing effects.
Whichever pre-surgical and post-surgical rehabilitation routine you follow, you must undertake the practice. Patients who underwent pre-hab and post-operative rehab healed quickly after their surgery and continued to enjoy better results than those who did not experience rehabilitation.
How does Our Rehabilitation Therapy help?
Our trained and skilled physical therapist can advise you on the best prehab and post-surgical plan to meet your specific needs. When you know the date of your surgery, you must make an appointment with a physical therapist. The therapist will run a complete assessment before planning a pre op and post op rehab program. Physical therapy treatment features you with strength and stamina. A physical therapist might use a range of manual therapies or teach you simple exercises that you can do at home. Along with that, a therapist might also use heat, ice, and electrical stimulation. Altogether, it helps the patients preparewell for the surgeries and takes care of them after the surgery.