ByA physical therapist can help you move your body in ways that won’t harm your recovery. This can help prevent the buildup of scar tissue that can reduce your strength, mobility and flexibility.
Inactivity after surgery can cause complications such as blood clots and infections. In addition, stiff muscles can make you more prone to injury.
1. Reduces Pain and Inflammation
The body’s natural reaction to surgery is pain and inflammation. la clinica helps manage these symptoms safely, without relying on prescription medications that can have adverse side effects.
Your therapist will use a variety of techniques, including massage, electrical stimulation and heat to help improve circulation and reduce pain in the surgical area. This also helps prevent swelling and bruising.
Strengthening exercises are also part of the therapy, as they improve muscle function in the surgical area and increase the amount of work the muscles can do. This also lowers the risk of injury, as stronger muscles are less likely to become tight or stiff.
2. Strengthens Muscles
When it comes to strengthening muscles, physical therapy is a great option. This is because the exercises help to promote healing by increasing blood flow in the surgical area, which improves mobility and function. It also reduces pain by preventing secondary issues like inflammation, muscle tightness or stiffness and improves stability and balance.
Additionally, physical therapists usually perform core exercises that help you build strength in the area around the surgery site to prevent future injuries. Moreover, physical therapy can address pain without medication through massages, dry needling, electrical stimulation, ice and heat therapies, and manual techniques. Getting physical therapy as soon as possible after surgery helps speed up your recovery.
3. Improves Mobility
Moving around instead of remaining in bed after surgery decreases your risk of developing blood clots and infections. Physical therapists will teach you how to move in ways that won’t impede healing or lead to complications. They often follow the 8 minute rule physical therapy guideline to ensure each session is productive and beneficial for your recovery.
PT can help break up scar tissue that builds and limits movement, flexibility and strength near the surgical site. Your therapist can also use techniques to improve balance and gait control.
Using massage, electrical stimulation, ice and heat to improve circulation is another way PT helps you feel more mobile after surgery. This improves your ability to exercise, take part in work and play. It also reduces inflammation and swelling.
4. Reduces Risk of Complications
Using the right exercise and movement plan lowers your risk of secondary issues such as blood clots. This is because movement keeps blood flowing to the surgical site, reducing inflammation and decreasing the risk of a blood clot.
Inactivity weakens muscles and can cause them to stiffen. When this happens, daily activities like climbing stairs and reaching overhead are compromised. Physical therapy focuses on gentle stretching routines to keep these muscles and joints limber.
Chicago physical therapy can reduce complications by improving balance and stability. This way, patients can regain their confidence on the move after surgery and return to normal activities sooner.
5. Prevents Recurring Complications
Each year, tens of millions of people undergo surgery. Unfortunately, any surgery carries the risk of complications like blood clots, infections and hardware malfunctions.
Physical therapy has been shown to lower the chance of these problems occurring after surgery by keeping your body moving in ways that won’t aggravate the area.
It also helps you regain strength in the surgical area and throughout your entire body through exercises, stretches and manual techniques.
This is especially important for patients who get joint-replacement surgeries. In addition, PT can improve balance and stability, which reduces the risk of falling and further injury. It also promotes circulation, which accelerates tissue healing and helps ease pain.
6. Helps You Recover Faster
After surgery, patients experience a reduction in strength, mobility and flexibility. This occurs in the area around the surgery as well as throughout the body due to inactivity. Physical movement helps improve these issues and reduces the risk of complications such as blood clots.
In addition, it helps you recover faster by strengthening surrounding muscles, teaching compensatory strategies, and addressing pain without the use of medications.
You’ll likely start therapy while still in the hospital, and then continue with regular appointments at a rehabilitation center or in your home. Your therapist will show you the safest and most effective ways to move the area of your body where you had surgery.
