Physical Therapy: Pre & Post-Op Treatment
We know very well how tough it can be to go through surgery.
In fact, we often do all we can to steer patients away from it. We develop many of our treatment plans for the purpose of healing injuries without prescription painkillers or invasive procedures. However, in many cases, there’s simply no avoiding it. Sometimes, emergencies like auto or workplace injuries happen which demand immediate operations. And often, long-term damage or chronic pain is too severe to avoid surgery entirely. Of course, it isn’t the most pleasant experience. However, physical therapy can be enormously beneficial both before and after an operation.
Very often, primary care physicians recommend it to prepare for and heal from a surgery. And there’s several good reasons to heed their advice and make an appointment right away. In this post, we’ll discuss how physical therapy can greatly improve your pre and post-op condition.
Physical Therapy For Pre & Post-Op Patients: Benefits & Results
There was a time when most doctors actually wouldn’t recommend physical therapy before or after surgeries. Of course, it’s understandable, in a sense. Assuming more motion meant more chronic pain/muscle damage, it took a few years for the medical community to realize how it can help surgical patients. Ultimately, researchers came to discover that, before and after surgery, physical therapy has several notable benefits:
- Preparing patients for the procedure mentally, easing stress, anxiety and tension.
- Significantly improving the chance of a great outcome.
- Greatly reducing the risk of infections after surgery.
- Restoring strength at a much faster rate.
- Shortening the necessary time patients must spend under doctor supervision.
Obviously, these are the kinds of advantages that countless patients dream of. Fortunately, they’re easily attainable – simply schedule a physical therapy appointment in advance of your procedure. Our therapists are always ready to provide individual consultations for our patients. In addition, following an examination/assessment, they’ll develop an intricate treatment plan specifically for you and your needs. This way, we effectively guarantee maximum results and optimal recovery. It doesn’t matter if your issue is limited mobility or an elbow injury. Regardless, we’ll provide the solution.
How Physical Therapy Delivers
Of course, physical therapy is, in large part, stretching. These stretches restore complete range of motion and joint flexibility for the patients in treatment. Following an operation, scar tissue usually develops, which inhibits flexibility and makes movement stiffer and painful. However, stretching at consistent intervals in physical therapy counteracts scar tissue’s ability to inhibit your recovery. Additionally, you’ll find it much easier to perform basic motions every day, like reaching up or ascending a staircase.
The kind of exercises that develop muscle and increase strength, like resistance training, can be integral to pre and post-op physical therapy treatment. At first, exercise may feel tough and maybe even painful. However, inevitably, you’ll see huge improvements in your stamina and strength. As long as you commit to your treatment, these advantages are effectively guaranteed. For any patients dealing with injuries within the shoulder, back and neck, these are especially beneficial.
Often, physical therapists prioritize the core, and guide patients through rebuilding muscle in the midsection. Your core is your body’s foundation. Therefore, a fragile core leaves surgical patients in a state of heightened vulnerability. They’re more likely to sustain another injury, or accidentally overexert their cores to the point of causing serious damage. However, physical therapy implements exercises which reinforce the core while also making the back and pelvis much stronger.
Choose Farmingdale PT for Your Surgery Rehab Today!
At Farmingdale Physical Therapy West, giving our patients a natural means of healing motivates us to continue our treatments with total precision and a commitment to restoring pain-free lifestyles. Each of us are passionate about helping our patients, and we know firsthand how much their lives can improve with physical therapy.
If there’s a surgery in your future, or you just underwent one, we implore you to schedule a physical therapy consultation. During your initial appointment, a therapist will collaborate closely with you to answer your questions, develop a treatment plan that will deliver maximum benefits and bring you to your individual, personalized goal.
