What is Rehabilitation?
Physical medicine and rehabilitation is what it sounds like – working with a board certified physical therapist to rehabilitate your body after surgery, or in place of surgery to treat a condition.
This is necessary to strengthen the bones, muscles and soft tissues to restore normal flexibility.
Why is Rehabilitation Performed?
Without the proper rehabilitation after surgery, your muscles can weaken and even waste away (atrophy) if they go too long without proper use.
Alongside that, doctors encourage rehabilitation because the movement encourages blood flow to the area, which encourages healing. This is critical for post-operative rehabilitation, but can also benefit patients who have opted out of surgery for their condition.
How is Rehabilitation Performed?
The exact details of your rehabilitation will depend on the musculoskeletal condition that you’re experiencing, the stage in your treatment that you’re in and your medical history.
But the basics remain the same – you will meet with a doctor who specializes in occupational therapy and rehabilitation, and working alongside your orthopedic surgeon, a custom rehabilitation plan will be developed for you.
The forms of rehabilitation on offer include, but are not limited to:
Rotator Cuff Exercises – there are many exercises that can be performed to focus on the rotator cuff muscles, which improve movement and stability of the joint, preventing injury or dislocations.
Knee Strengthening Exercises – knee muscles exercises can be used for a variety of conditions, but typically benefit patients suffering from osteoarthritis most.
Shoulder Rehabilitation – this kind of program is customized with a wide range of exercises that are safe and effective for your shoulder condition, to improve your strength, flexibility and mobility.
Post-Op Rehabilitation – like it sounds, this is a program of exercises based on the surgery that you’ve undergone, designed to help expedite the recovery period and ensure quality of life.
What To Expect After Rehabilitation
The specifics of what you can expect in terms of mobility, range of motion and strength after your rehabilitation program concludes are unique to you and your medical condition.
This is a conversation your doctor will have with you, during the development of your custom treatment plan.
Frequently Asked Questions about Rehabilitation
1. What is the importance of rehabilitation?
Rehabilitation can ensure a high quality of life and total recovery post orthopedic surgery, while also offering a non-operative alternative for treatment to certain non-extreme medical cases.
2. What are the 4 stages of rehabilitation?
When your doctor approaches your exercise treatment plan, it will follow four stages. Starting with resting and protecting the injury, through tor recovering your motion, then recovering your strength and finally recovering your function.
