Why do I need post-surgery rehabilitation?
The physical trauma of surgery triggers a stress response that affects your metabolism and places incredible demands on every system in your body, including your immune system.
Your body also requires an excessive amount of energy to heal after surgery. Your brain automatically directs changes to ensure you have energy, but that’s not always the best for your overall recovery. For example, the body often breaks down muscle for energy, resulting in significant muscle weakness.
These metabolic changes are in addition to the physical impact of your surgery. You will have swelling, pain, and limited use of the affected body part.
Post-surgery rehabilitation is the treatment you need to overcome the trauma and metabolic changes. The goal of rehabilitation is to promote your physical recovery and restore the level of function and mobility you had before surgery, if possible.
If full recovery isn’t possible, then rehabilitation helps you reach your new optimal level of functioning.
How does post-surgery rehabilitation proceed?
Rehabilitation progresses through several stages based on your healing process:
Managing pain and inflammation
The first stage of post-surgery rehabilitation is all about protecting your tissues so they can heal and focusing on managing your pain and inflammation. At this stage, your rehabilitation may include isometric exercises, passive range-of-motion therapy, and electrical stimulation.
Restoring movement and strength
As your inflammation and pain diminish, your body needs moderate stress to boost circulation, rebuild neuromuscular connections, and restore strength and function in your bones and soft tissues. Your rehabilitation at this stage usually starts with passive exercises and progresses to active movement.
Return to full or optimal function
When you’re nearly pain-free and have full range of motion, your post-surgery rehabilitation focuses on restoring joint mobility and stability, improving your endurance, retraining muscles, and returning to full strength.
Many of your exercises during this stage are task-specific and designed to restore functional abilities that meet your goals. If your goal is to return to competitive sports, your provider includes exercises that train for your sport. Other patients may have goals such as preventing falls or regaining the ability to climb stairs.
What integrative services might I receive during post-surgery rehabilitation?
The team at Quince Orchard Medical Center takes a holistic approach and offers other services to support your recovery. You may benefit from medical massage, nutritional counseling, or orthobiologics.
If you know that surgery is in your future, call Quince Orchard Medical Center or schedule an appointment online so you can plan for a successful post-surgery rehabilitation.
