We provide prehab and rehab for…

• Spinal surgery.

• Shoulder surgery including replacements, rotator cuff repair & acromioplasty.

• Knee surgery including replacements, arthroscopes & reconstructions.

• Hip surgery including replacements & arthroscopes.

• Elbow and wrist surgery including carpal tunnel release.

• Ankle and foot surgery.

• Tendon repair surgery.

• And many, many more. If your’re unsure if we can help, get in touch to ask one of our Physiotherapists!

Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation is a crucial component of post-op recovery for all surgeries. More times than not, patients who do not engage in post-op rehab will have poorer outcomes.

The physiotherapists at Scott St Physiotherapy have extensive experience in rehabilitating after a vast number of orthopaedic surgeries. We have great relationships with local surgeons who trust us with their surgical patients.

What to expect

In the early stages, expect to be in a bit of pain with swollen and hot joints. Muscles often waste away due to inactivity and pain can inhibit their function. Your surgeon will usually give you a list of rules to follow to maximise healing. In this early stage, minimising pain and maximising healing is important, so don’t push it.

We will typically review patients 2-6 weeks post-operatively, depending on the surgery and the surgeons rules. From here, we will provide you with exercises to promote recovery and maximise your function. We know what usual progress looks like post-op and will keep you informed on how you’re tracking. Exercises will typically consist of a short routine to perform daily to progress your joints range and build back your muscles.

Rehabilitation after Hip and Knee Replacements

Post-op, we typically see patients at week 3-5. Patient’s pain is usually calming down by now and they’re ready to get some exercises.

For hip replacements, the most important things are keeping to the post-op orders, a gradual wean off of crutches and regaining strength in the operated limb. Our Physiotherapists will give you some rules to follow and exercises to get started on.

For knee replacements, the most important things are regaining full range in the knee and strengthening the quads muscles. Patient’s who have poor outcomes post-op are usually those who don’t regain full range. We have a 3 month window after surgery to get the most gains in range before the scar tissues sets, and this requires a bit of pain and grimacing to achieve. Pain also inhibits your quads muscles, so expect to be working them a lot to get them going again.

Prehabilitation

The current literature suggests that attending Physiotherapy and undergoing some “prehab” before your operation can maximise your outcomes including pain and function post-op.

Prehabilitation or “prehab”, aims to reduce pain and swelling, maximise range of motion & improve muscle strength and function. Due to the nature of surgery, prehab aims to protect against the muscle atrophy that will ultimately occur after a significant surgery. It is also a great opportunity to talk to your physio about what to expect after surgery and how to make the most of it.

In some cases, patients can even have significant improvements with pain through prehab and avoid surgery all together! So book a consultation today if you want to get a head start on your recovery.

Prehab for Hip and Knee Replacements

These replacements can knock you for 6, they’re often very painful in the first few weeks and get slowly better after that. Because of the pain, patients often have significant muscle wasting by the time they get to us at week 4 or 6. We can prevent against this by building some muscle pre-op to get you better faster. We can also address other issues like balance.