Post-Surgical Rehab Fort Wayne, IN

Post-Surgical Rehab

post-surgical rehab relief Fort Wayne, IN

Find Fast Relief from Your Surgical Procedure with Post-Surgical Rehab

Set Yourself up for a Smooth Recovery

Do you have a surgery coming up that you’ve been anxious about? It is normal to be a bit nervous when planning for surgery, wondering how quickly you’ll be able to get back to doing all the things you love. Fortunately, knowing you have a post-surgical physical therapy plan set beforehand can help ease some of your stress.

Are you looking to recover from your surgery as quickly as possible? Of course, you are! Let ProTailored Physical Therapy help! Contact us today by calling 260-739-0300 for an appointment with one of our dedicated Fort Wayne, IN physical therapists. They will create a personalized treatment plan for your specific needs so you can get back to your life faster!

How will a post-surgical treatment plan help me?

post-surgical rehab relief Fort Wayne, IN

While your physician may recommend pain management drugs, physical therapy has been known to relieve pain without the need for them. Pain-killing drugs mask the pain while physical therapy resolves the issue where the pain is originating. This is achieved with specialized methods, techniques, and modalities, such as joint mobilizations, massage, laser therapy, electrical stimulation, and home exercise programs.

Whatever you may need surgery for, ProTailored Physical Therapy can help you get to your optimum levels of function afterward. Our Fort Wayne, IN physical therapists will create a treatment plan that will include targeted stretches and exercises to help you recover and get back to your normal daily life.

We are dedicated to making sure you are living a healthy life, even after your post-surgical rehab treatments are over. Because of this, part of your treatment plan will also include education on any lifestyle and/or nutritional changes you can make in order to optimize your long-term health, avoid injuring yourself and avoid the need for additional surgeries in the future.

The days and weeks following a surgical procedure may result in physical limitations. Our physical therapist can advise you on ways to accommodate these limitations, such as how to go up and down the stairs, put on clothes, or get in and out of a car. This can be done with the assistance of adaptive tools to compensate for reduced movement. By making these adjustments, you will be able to move around comfortably while also working to restore the normal range of movement in your body.

post-surgical rehab relief Fort Wayne, IN

What are the biggest benefits of post-surgical rehab?

Both pre- and post-surgical rehab are essential elements of successful surgical outcomes. Any type of surgery can be considered a form of trauma and can affect the body differently. Even minor and uncomplicated surgical procedures can have a major impact on your health. Because of this, post-surgical rehab with a Fort Wayne, IN physical therapist is especially important, in order to make sure everything goes smoothly after your operation is done.

Individualized post-surgical rehab at ProTailored Physical Therapy not only minimizes your pain and accelerates your rate of healing, but it can also reduce the chances of postoperative complications, including infections, bleeding, blood clots, muscle weakness, scar tissue, decreased function, and other factors that can negatively impact your long-term health.

Another critical reason for selecting post-surgical physical therapy is its ability to 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 an opioid overdose, and upwards of 29% of people, prescribed opioids will end up misusing these dangerous drugs.

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

Common causes for surgical intervention

When conservative treatment options for an injury or health condition fail to provide effective relief, many physicians will recommend surgical correction. Some common conditions that may lead to surgery include, but are not limited to:

  • Heart surgery – ablations, stent placements, cardiac pacemakers, etc
  • ACL, MCL, and/or meniscus repairs
  • Rotator cuff tears
  • Full or partial knee replacements
  • Total hip replacements

The impact of these surgeries on your body should not be understated. Most surgeries incur at least some degree of pain, inflammation, mobility limitations, and swelling. To complicate matters, you likely were already experiencing pain and dysfunction prior to your operation!

To accommodate healing tissues and/or to avoid recurring dysfunction, it is likely that you will have to learn how to do certain things all over again, like walking and getting dressed. Our Fort Wayne physical therapists can teach you how to perform tasks safely while following critical post-operative guidelines.

These guidelines are often outlined by your surgeon and could include safe positions for your hip, knee, sternal, spine, non-weight bearing guidelines, etc.

Common Questions Regarding Post-Surgical Rehab:

Should I come to therapy for a session or two before my surgery date?

Regardless of your surgery type, a pre-surgical appointment can be beneficial, for many reasons. One, for your physical therapist to see where your “Starting Point” is before surgery. Two, it allows for the relationship to start forming between you and your dedicated physical therapist sooner rather than later. Three, it allows for you to start on some exercises that should help in your rehabilitation after surgery; in the therapy world, we call it “prehab.”

I’m nervous about being in too much pain for therapy. What can be done for me?

More often than not, pain levels can be increased after a procedure. However, that is one of the main things that we focus on as physical therapists; reducing your pain while improving your function. We often get specific protocols from your surgeon, and we abide by those to make sure that the proper steps are taken to aid in your optimal recovery.

Do you communicate with my surgeon or primary care physician?

We send our reports to your surgeon and your primary care physician. We make sure that we are doing everything on our end to make sure that all communication is seamless. Your dedicated physical therapist will call on your behalf if there is ever any question regarding what’s best for your care.

Why am I in so much pain after my surgery? They said that the surgery was a routine procedure.

Your body undergoes a great deal of change during any surgery, so increased pain levels are totally normal. Anytime there’s cutting of your skin, removal of tissue, joint surfaces replaced, hardware implanted, or anything else that happens during surgery, your body and nervous system are trying to figure out what just happened. Different nerves have been cut through, tissues have been damaged, there has been physical trauma to the body, and the pain and/or swelling is normal. Once your body and nervous system get acquainted with all of the new changes over the next few weeks, the pain levels and swelling should subside, and your functionality (return to normal levels of activity) should increase.

My sister got her knee replaced and she was feeling great after three days. Should I expect the same course of recovery for myself?

We wish that we could guarantee feeling great in such a short period of time, and it can be frustrating when our friends or family make rehabilitation look like a breeze while we’re the ones in pain; however, everyone is different, and everyone responds to surgeries differently. What you and your dedicated physical therapist will focus on will be your recovery plan, not your sister’s or your friend’s. We will do everything in our power to ensure you a speedy recovery specific to you and your goals.

Find relief today

If you are planning on having a surgical operation in the near future, don’t wait to set up your post-surgical rehab plan. Do it today with ProTailored Physical Therapy.

Visit our four clinic locations in North Fort Wayne, Northwest Fort Wayne, Southwest Fort Wayne, and Central Fort Wayne today!

We’ll provide you with everything you need to get back to your life as quickly and easily as possible!