After Surgery

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Overview

Surgery is sometimes needed to improve your health, or save your life and it can be stressful, both emotionally and physically. Research shows that appropriate physiotherapy before and after your surgery can help speed up the healing process. Physiotherapy is most often used after orthopaedic surgery, such as knee and hip surgeries.

How physio helps

Before surgery

Before elective joint surgery, physiotherapy can be useful to help build up the muscles around the joint - aiding in recovery. Talk to your doctor to find out if this is relevant to your surgery.

After surgery

Physiotherapy can help you get moving after your surgery. At later stages, physiotherapy can help you with an appropriate rehabilitation exercise programme that will help restore movement and strength.

An example: Breast cancer and physiotherapy

Physiotherapy can be very useful after a breast cancer operation as it can help you return to full range of movement in your arms and can also help reduce the risk of side effects such as lymphoedema and shoulder problems.

What to expect

As part of your recovery your physio may include:

  • Stretching tight muscles and joints and restoring movement
  • Core strengthening and stability exercises
  • Gait (walking) re-education