The Importance of Physical Therapy After Surgery

Even for the smallest of surgeries, going under the knife is a big deal. The operation itself may be minor, but recovery can take a while. This is where physical therapy comes into the picture. Your orthopedic surgeon in Las Vegas, NV will likely recommend weeks or even months of physical therapy after you’ve had your surgery. Continue reading to learn why doctors make you go through physical therapy once they’ve finished the surgery:

• Regain strength: Studies have shown that the longer patients lie in bed after surgery, the more muscle strength and function they lose. This muscle weakness can be hard to regain unless you get up and moving straight away. Even though lying around and watching TV sounds better than getting up and going to physical therapy, your body will thank you in the long run.
• Reduce health problems: Your muscles aren’t the only thing that can start to go after surgery—you may also lose heart and lung capacity unless you start moving as soon as the doctor allows it. The risk of developing heart and lung problems is higher for senior citizens, but that doesn’t mean young people can take physical therapy for granted.
• Speed up recovery time: Would you like to be as active as you once were after your surgery? Hopefully, the answer is yes! Assuming it is, you’ll need to start visiting your physical therapist as soon as possible. Your orthopedic surgeon in Las Vegas, NV will let you know when you can start physical therapy, and how long you’ll need to attend sessions. As long as you attend your physical therapy sessions and continue to do exercises at home, you’ll likely be back up on your feet before you know it.
• Reduce pain: Regardless of the operation, there’s a good chance that you’ll have some pain after your surgery. The doctor will prescribe you medications to manage this pain, but as you may know, opioid use is a slippery slope. There are countless stories of patients who start taking pain medications after surgery and eventually become completely dependent on their pills to function. The good news is that physical therapy has proven to help manage post-surgery pain without the risk of addiction. Though it may be challenging to begin with, you’ll be glad you chose to do physical therapy instead of relying solely on medication.
• Ensure better quality of life: All of the points above come together to help guarantee that you’ll have a better quality of life after your surgery. Your initial operation will repair whatever was ailing you, and the ensuing physical therapy makes sure that you return to life as usual as quickly as possible.

If you’re having pain in your knee or shoulder as a result of a sports injury, be sure to give us a call at Bernard Ong, M.D. to set up an appointment. After your initial appointment, Dr. Ong will determine whether you need surgery to repair your injured joint, and get you into the operating room as soon as possible.

Categorized in: Orthopedic Surgeon

This post was written by Writer