What is joint replacement physical therapy?
Joint replacement surgery is a big undertaking for your body. However, it is often a necessity in order to increase your quality of life. Once you have undergone joint replacement surgery, physical therapy is may be essential for a full recovery.
Joint replacement surgery is a major procedure and often times includes a length recovery where you have to re-learn how to use the joint and re-gain strength. Physical therapy provides many benefits in the recovery process including:
- Increased strength
- Increased mobility and range of motion
- Decreased post-op pain
- Functionality training (learning how to perform everyday activities with your new joint)
What should I expect during my pre-op appointment?
If you have been recommended to see a physical therapist prior to your surgery, your pre-op appointment will involve:
- Gait training: education on fitting for assistive device and how to ambulate using the assistive device post op. You will also learn how to get in and out of a car and negotiation of stairs.
- Swelling management: your therapist will discuss the best ways to control swelling and inflammation post-op
- Examination: pre-op ROM measurements and manual muscle tests will be documented to help with your plan of care after surgery.
- Therapeutic exercises: you will be taught specific exercises to do after your surgery prior to your first physical therapy appointment.
- Scheduling: you will also be scheduled for your post op appointments to help you plan for transportation to and from your appointments.
What should I expect during post-op appointments?
If you have been recommended to see a physical therapist following your surgery, your first appointment will likely involve an initial health exam to determine current health status as well as how recovery has gone up to that point. Your provider may also want to review your previous medical history. Once this has been established, your provider will have a better idea of what type of treatment plan to start with you. Each treatment plan that is established for a patient will be personalized to the necessary joint as well as how recovery has gone so far. A treatment plan may include:
- Manual therapy: this involves hands on methods to help alleviate any stiffness or mobility issues from the surgery.
- Therapeutic exercises: these exercises will be specific to your new joint and how to strengthen everything around it as well as improve coordination, flexibility and balance.
- Joint education: this will be necessary in recovery as well as future injury prevention focusing on body mechanics and how to move about with typical daily activities.
When you start physical therapy for joint replacement surgery recovery, it will be crucial to stay patient with yourself during the whole process. Recovery is not a quick process, especially after undergoing a large surgery. It will remain important to do any and all exercises or stretches that your PT assigns. Additionally, as you are in the recovery process, keep all communication open with your therapist and let them know if you ever begin to feel unexpected discomfort. They will be able to adjust your plan as needed to accommodate.