From the hospital bedside to after discharge, the quality continuum of care provided by Downs Physiotherapy staff assures post-operative orthopaedic patients the highest level of treatment throughout their surgical experience.

Some procedures requiring post-operative orthopaedic physiotherapy:

• Total knee and hip replacements
• Shoulder reconstructions / repair 
• Back operations such as discectomy, fusion and laminectomy. 
• Knee surgery and reconstructions

Post-Op orthopaedic rehabilitation aims to:

• Increase a patient's joint range of movement
• Increase muscle strength 
• Improve mobility and independence in activities of daily living, work and sport.

Depending on the type of surgery, and the patient's capacity to heal, recovery can take up to three or four months during which time the patient and physiotherapist work together to achieve the best possible result.

This plan may include:

• Visits to the rooms for treatment and progression of rehabilitation program 
• Hydrotherapy 
• Home exercise program 
• Assessments for return to work, activity and sport

As expected, candidates for surgery are as diverse as their respective goals.

For example, young people usually present with sport or work related injuries and the accompanying need to return to the field or workplace as quickly as possible.

Seniors, however, may need assistance with tasks such as stepping in and out of the shower or completing daily activities around the house.

Downs Physiotherapy staff

• See the patient in hospital for immediate post-op care, exercises and advice 
• Assess patients for discharge and follow-up rehabilitation as an outpatient 
• Liaise with the surgeon regarding post-op rehabilitation

If you have been a surgical patient, it is not necessary to obtain a referral from your specialist to return to post-operative physiotherapy.

Pre-operative patient education and exercise

• If you are facing surgery, why not consider giving yourself the best possible chance for a speedy recovery? 
• It has been shown that patients who exercise pre-operatively, even a month prior to surgery, accelerate their chances of a better recovery. 
• Whether you are about to undergo a total knee or hip replacement, back surgery, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction, a patella release, ankle or shoulder surgery, including rotator cuff repairs, you could benefit from a pre-operative program.

Contact Downs Physiotherapy staff to discuss your options.