During surgery, your body goes through a taxing experience. Tissues get cut and repaired, and muscles around the surgical site may be weak and sore. This can lead to pain, stiffness, and swelling, which can make it difficult to move around and perform everyday activities.
Your body will need time and help to fully recover and heal from the surgery. Fortunately, physical therapy can help you with your post-surgery rehabilitation.
What is Physical Therapy?
Physical therapy is a healthcare profession that helps people improve their movement and function. You can experience different strategies and techniques that can encourage healing during therapy. Physical therapists work with people of all ages, from infants to seniors, to help them recover from surgeries and sports injuries, manage chronic conditions, and live pain-free and active lives.
How Physical Therapy Helps Speed Up Recovery
Physical therapy can help you recover from surgery more quickly and completely. A physical therapist can teach you exercises to strengthen the muscles around the surgical site, improve your range of motion, and reduce pain and swelling. They can also help you learn how to safely move and perform everyday activities without reinjuring yourself.
Here’s a more thorough look at how physical therapy can work to speed up your recovery after surgery.
Reducing Pain and Inflammation
Pain and swelling are common after surgery. They are caused by inflammation, which is the body’s natural response to injury. Inflammation is necessary for healing, but it can also be painful and uncomfortable.
Physical therapy can help reduce pain and swelling after surgery in a number of ways. One is by increasing blood flow to the surgical site to bring in much-needed oxygen and nutrients for healing. Techniques such as using heat, ice, and electrical stimulation in therapy can help relax muscles, reduce pain, and prevent painful muscle spasms.
Improving Range of Motion
Surgery can cause stiffness in the joints and muscles near the surgical site, which can limit their abilities. This can make it difficult to perform everyday activities, such as getting dressed, brushing your teeth, and bathing.
Through stretching, specific exercises that focus on mobility, and manual therapy, physical therapy can improve your limited range of motion.
Strengthening Your Body
Muscles often weaken after surgery. This is because the muscles get injured during surgery or have not been used for a while. Weak muscles can make it difficult to move around and perform everyday activities. They can also increase the risk of falls and other injuries.
Physical therapy can help strengthen muscles after surgery through functional and strengthening exercises that your therapist will guide you through. Often, you will use different equipment, such as weights and resistance bands.
Other Benefits of Physical Therapy
Here are some other ways physical therapy can help you get back to your active lifestyle after surgery:
- Improved balance and coordination: PT can help dramatically improve balance and coordination after surgery by using a variety of techniques, such as balance and coordination exercises.
- Reduced risk of complications: It can also help reduce complications after surgery by helping patients recover more quickly and completely. This can lead to a shorter hospital stay and a faster return to work and other activities.
- Increased independence: Patients can learn to become more independent after surgery by teaching them how to perform everyday activities safely and effectively.
A Timeline of Your Recovery With Physical Therapy
The timeline of recovery after surgery with the help of physical therapy can vary depending on the type of surgery and the individual patient. However, there are some general trends that can be expected.
In the first few weeks after surgery, the focus of physical therapy will be on reducing pain and swelling, improving range of motion, and preventing muscle atrophy. This may involve gentle exercises, manual therapy, and modalities such as heat and ice.
As the patient heals, the focus of physical therapy will shift to strengthening the muscles around the surgical site and improving function. This may involve more challenging exercises, as well as functional exercises that mimic everyday activities.
The goal of physical therapy is to help the patient return to their normal activities as soon as possible. In some cases, this may take several months or even a year. However, most patients are able to see significant improvement in their function and quality of life after a few weeks of physical therapy after surgery.
Reliable Physical Therapist in Sherman, TX
Getting surgery can have a great impact on your body and recovering afterwards can be a challenge. Physical therapy is an important part of post-surgery rehabilitation. It can help improve your function and quality of life by reducing pain and inflammation, improving your range of motion, strengthening muscles, and more. With a boost from physical therapy, you can recover much more quickly and effectively after surgery.
Looking for physical therapy to help with your recovery after surgery? Our team of physical therapists at Carrus Specialty Hospital in Sherman, Texas, are experts in their field. We strive to provide the best rehabilitative care to you, so you can get back to your active lifestyle as soon as possible. To learn more about how we can help you in your recovery journey, call us at (903) 870-2600 or visit our website.
