How Physical Therapy Complements Orthopedic Surgery Recovery

Physical therapy is the standard of care after most orthopedic surgeries. Major operations such as joint replacement or rotator cuff surgery always include a course of physical therapy to help you regain strength, range of motion, flexibility, and balance. 

Our board-certified physical therapists with Peninsula Orthopedic Associates work hand in hand with our orthopedic surgeons to restore a repaired joint, help you function with a new joint, and ease tendinitis, osteoarthritis, and many other musculoskeletal concerns. 

Here are proven benefits of physical therapy as a needed complement to orthopedic surgery. 

Physical therapy aids healing 

Regular movement improves circulation. Your therapy exercises send life-giving blood containing important nutrients to your surgical site. Physical therapy optimizes healing. 

PT restores range of motion and flexibility 

The goal of orthopedic surgery is to restore normal function for the affected joint or area of soft tissue. After orthopedic surgery, moving your joint or soft tissue may be uncomfortable, but it’s necessary to start moving to prevent permanent stiffness and disability. 

Scar tissue forms after orthopedic surgery as your body’s natural defense against trauma. But it shrinks as it matures, causing muscles to constrict and limiting your movement. 

Physical therapy helps break up scar tissue’s tough collagen fibers. Your therapist may use manual techniques or a tool to break it up. 

In the first weeks of therapy, we use a passive range of motion techniques, gently moving the joint. In the weeks that follow, we give you exercises that help you move the injured area yourself. For example, for an injured shoulder, you might lie on your back, hold a cane with both hands, and raise it over your head.   

PT restores muscle strength and builds endurance

Did you know that your muscles begin to atrophy after just 2-3 weeks of inactivity or immobilization? This is why we instruct a physical therapist to teach you to walk with a walker the day after a hip replacement and why we use a device to engage passive movement if you’ve had an operation on a torn ACL. 

But that’s just the very beginning of the rehabilitation process. 

Your physical therapy continues after you leave the outpatient facility or hospital. You come to our physical therapy office or have in-home care if needed. Your therapist starts with gentle massage, joint mobilization, gentle stretches, and passive modalities such as ultrasound, ice, and heat in the early stages of therapy. 

In the second stage of physical therapy, you begin to work on strengthening the muscles surrounding the joint or damaged area of soft tissue. 

You need to rebuild strength in those muscles to help prevent loss of balance, a fall, or other accident. You start with a certain number of repetitions and sets of each exercise, increasing the duration each week. The slow, steady work helps restore your endurance. 

Physical therapy improves balance 

If you’ve had an operation on your hip, knee, leg, ankle, or foot, you want to be steady on your feet again after surgery. Balance training helps prevent falls. 

Your therapist includes exercises to improve your balance and proprioception (awareness of your position in space). You work on gait training to ensure your walking gait is proper.

Call us at Peninsula Orthopedic Associates or request an appointment through our online portal today if you have unexplained musculoskeletal pain. We have offices in Menlo Park, Los Gatos, and Daly City, and a physical therapy practice in Daly City.