Each year there are close to 2.2 million surgeries performed in Australia [1]. If you are one of the patients recovering from surgery, whether emergency or elective, you might be wondering how you can get back to feeling like your old or improved self; post-operative physio can help.
What is post-operative physio?
Post-operative physio is a form of rehabilitation and is a key part of recovery from any surgery.
- At Valens Care, we have delivered post-operative physio to patients recovering from:
- Hip and knee replacements
- Ankle and foot surgery
- Shoulder surgery
- Elbow and wrist surgery
- Breast cancer
- Prostate cancer
- Abdominal surgery
How can post-operative physio help?
Physiotherapy is an important part of your post-operative care. Regardless of whether your surgery was elective or an emergency, your body has undergone stress and change, and it needs to relearn certain movements and activities.
Even if your surgery was relatively minor, your body might feel different to what it did before. And if you’ve undergone a replacement surgery, you have a new part of your body to adjust to.
This is where post-operative physio comes in as part of your post-operative care. It can help you with:
- Movement – standing, sitting, moving, sleeping and showering movements tailored to your specific recovery. How someone with an abdominal surgery will move is different to someone with a hip replacement. It’s important to learn how to move in relation to your individual recovery.
- Pain management – movement and physiotherapy can help manage your pain as you recovery. This could involve ensuring you are moving correctly but also some manual treatment of muscles which could be compensating for the area which has been operated on.
- Strength – building your strength back through exercise and movement will help build strength. Your muscles may feel weakened post-surgery so rebuilding your strength is important in your recovery.
- Stamina – you likely won’t be running marathons right away, but we can help you get back to your fitness and movement goals with a detailed and individual plan for your recovery.
How does post-operative physio work?
Post-operative physio involves a few steps:
- We get to know you. We want to know about how you got here – what led to your surgery and how are you feeling now? We establish your goals for your recovery and understand any pain or discomfort you are experiencing and make a plan to treat it.
- When you’re happy with the plan, we get to work. Your plan will almost always involve some targeted exercises (which we’ll teach you how to do), as well as manual therapy (treatment of the muscles). We can also provide advice on any assistive aids and devices you may benefit from using as part of your rehab at home.
It doesn’t stop there. We will continue to work with you throughout your journey and we’ll adjust your treatment plan along the way.
Mobile physiotherapy
Some surgeries can require you to stay home, and many people are unable to drive for a while. This is why Valens Care delivers mobile physiotherapy. As part of your rehab at home, our qualified team can come to you for your post-operative physiotherapy.
This can also help with practicing movements at home, like safely getting out of bed, walking to a chair, or navigating your shower and bathroom safely.
Reach out to our team to book an in-home post-operative physiotherapy consult now.
Why Valens Care?
At Valens Care, we understand recovering from surgery is not an overnight process. Our dedicated and experience team of physiotherapists are here to support you through your rehabilitation and long-term management.
You can count on Valens Care to:
Put people first
We pride ourselves on our client-first approach. We will always go the extra mile and never settle for just good enough.
Always be available
With no waiting list, we can prioritise your care straight away.
Provide real solutions
We are hands-on physios, both in our physical treatment of patients, but also our involvement in their rehabilitation and recovery. We know it takes more than treating a few muscles to make a real difference in recovering from surgery.
Learn more about what sets us apart.
DISCLAIMER FOR GENERAL/BROAD HEALTH CARE ADVICE THAT DOESN’T INVOLVE A TREATMENT OR PROCEDURE
All information is general and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Valens Care can consult with you regarding your individual health needs.
References:
[1] Hospitals at a glance 2017–18, Surgery in Australia’s hospitals – Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (aihw.gov.au) 1 February 2024
