Pre- & Post- Surgical Treatment Programs
Whether you just had surgery, are wondering if you may need it, or are trying to avoid it altogether, physical therapy can help. Physical therapy is a conservative (non-invasive) treatment method that can prevent or delay surgery.
Orthopedic surgery outcomes improve when a person is assisted in getting to their best before surgery and afterwards. For example, if you tore your ACL (a ligament in your knee), are planning on getting back surgery, or maybe know you may need total joint replacement, you want to have the best strength and range of motion beforehand. That’s where physical therapy comes into play.
Pre-surgical treatment, also known as prehabilitation, focuses on maximizing your full potential before surgery so that the rehabilitation after surgery is faster and has better outcomes. Muscle begin to lose mass after only a few days of disuse. Gaining the most strength and range of motion possible before surgery will help to ameliorate the muscle mass lost while you are recovering from your surgery.
Post-surgical treatment requires medical specialists who are trained in rehabilitation protocols. Depending on your surgery, there will be structures that should not be stretched or strengthened for a certain period of time. Our physical therapists are up-to-date with post-surgical protocols to make sure you are rehabbing quickly, but also safely.
Different surgeries that benefit from physical therapy include, but are not limited to:
Lumbar/cervical decompression or fusion
Discectomy
Total shoulder, hip, knee or ankle replacement
Meniscectomy
Debridement
Patellar or quadriceps tendon ruptures
ACL/PCL/MCL/LCL repair or replacement
Sub-acromial decompression
Labral repair
Rotator cuff repair
Fracture repair or splinting
- Achilles rupture repair
We also work alongside treatments that are meant to delay or reduce the need for surgery altogether, including:
- Corticosteriod injections
- Prolotherapy injections
- Platelet-rich-plasma (PRP)
- Any pain medication used to manage symptoms
At Whole Body Health Physical Therapy, we make sure to communicate with your surgeon through notes, messages, and phone calls. That way, we know exactly what your surgeon’s preferences are for the exact techniques they used during your surgery. Surgeries are time-consuming and painful. We want to make sure that your surgical procedure heals the absolute best it can.