People require surgery for several conditions. The healing and recovery process following surgery is often long and grueling. Physical therapy Louisville, KY, can help improve the odds of surgical success and a shorter recovery time.
Understanding how PT improves recovery and surgery odds is easy; it’s about putting in the work and committing to the process. People who stick to PT regimens following surgery will usually see quicker recoveries than those who ignore rehab suggestions. Physical therapy helps improve the chances of surgical success and recovery in five ways.
1. Make Tissue Healthier To Promote Healing
Following surgery, patients may experience inflammation and swelling. While corrective and often necessary, surgery represents a trauma to the body, and swelling and inflammation are typical aspects of the body’s healing process.
That said, swelling and inflammation can also cause problems and interfere with the healing process. Regular exercise and movement help reduce excessive inflammation and swelling, making the tissues healthier and promoting quicker healing and faster recovery.
2. Improving Outcome and Shortening Recovery
Physical therapy focuses on movement, balance, and strength training. By focusing a patient’s energy on developing the necessary range of motion and strength in their limbs, physiotherapists help them overcome surgical weakness. The quicker a patient can develop proper muscle tone and mass, the sooner they can go home and work independently.
3. Use Before Surgery Can Help After
Most people who look for physical therapy jobs near me understand the critical role of PT in pre and post-surgical interventions. Attending PT several weeks or months before surgery can help patients develop the necessary muscle mass and flexibility to make recovery easier.
If a patient can get in shape before surgery, they improve most of their surgical outcomes. They will likely experience a faster recovery with a better range of motion. Also, if working with a physiotherapist pre-operation, the PT can help you identify a routine and exercises to help target the core muscle groups of the surgical field and surrounding areas, ensuring your body is well-prepared for recovery.
4. Improves Range of Motion
Physical therapy focuses on strength training, balance and mobility, and range of motion. While all three categories are important to surgical recovery, range of motion is likely the most important. Patients who do not commit to range-of-motion exercises can lose significant mobility. Joints can become stiff, muscles tight, and movement painful.
Regular PT can ensure muscles and joints remain loose and flexible. Still, patients must commit to ongoing exercises at home, away from their therapists. True and fast recovery requires commitment at home and in a PT office.
5. Reduces Pain
Immediately following surgery, patients feel pain. Some pain is normal, and it will likely occur during physical therapy sessions. Still, as sessions progress, a patient’s body responds and grows accustomed to the movements. All patients experience some relief and a reduction in pain.
Are you preparing for surgery in the near future? Talk to your primary care physician or surgical team to learn more about physical therapy near me. Also, call a local PT specialist to schedule a consultation.