Having Surgery? Physical Therapy Beforehand Can Help Your Recovery
Life is full of exciting things, and sometimes injuries are a part of that. Sometimes the best or only solution is surgery, especially in cases where the injury has a risk of not healing properly or when conservative management is not successful. Rates of surgery have only gone up over the years, with one estimate of 313 million surgeries being performed per year globally1. The three most common orthopedic surgeries include a total knee replacement, lumbar fusion, and total hip replacement. You might know that if you receive any of these surgeries, you’ll probably end up going to physical therapy afterwards! But did you know that seeing a physical therapist before you have your surgery can improve outcomes and help you heal faster?
How Surgery Can Affect You
Surgery can be a traumatic experience for your body, and there might be a loss of strength, range of motion, and decreased ability to perform daily activities after the procedure. The injury itself may be leading to decreased activity because of pain or dysfunction, which can further exacerbate this loss.
A physical therapist can help to combat this by helping you to gain muscle mass and strength in safe ways before the surgery so that the loss is not as significant. They may also give you education regarding the surgery itself and what activities to perform or avoid immediately afterwards.
Your physical therapist can teach you safe ways to move around and complete basic tasks after the procedure to get you back to activity as soon as possible without reinjury. They may even be able to help decrease your pain levels through modalities like massage, taping, joint mobilizations, and special exercises while you wait to receive surgery.
The Research
In a study2 looking at the effect of doing physical therapy before ACL reconstruction surgery on the knee, they found that there was significant improvement in strength, functional mobility, and pain relief in the groups who underwent physical therapy beforehand compared to those that did not. In other words, the patients who did therapy before their surgery recovered faster and had less pain, especially in the first few weeks after the procedure. Physical therapy can help you to recover more quickly so that you can get back to doing the things that you love.
The Research
In a study2 looking at the effect of doing physical therapy before ACL reconstruction surgery on the knee, they found that there was significant improvement in strength, functional mobility, and pain relief in the groups who underwent physical therapy beforehand compared to those that did not. In other words, the patients who did therapy before their surgery recovered faster and had less pain, especially in the first few weeks after the procedure. Physical therapy can help you to recover more quickly so that you can get back to doing the things that you love.
After Surgery
And of course, remember that physical therapy before surgery can only do so much! After your procedure, be sure to return to PT to get your strength and mobility back. Surgery is a big decision, and we want to help you through every step of the process so that you can return to living your best life.
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- Meara JG, Leather AJ, Hagander L, Alkire BC, Alonso N, Ameh EA, et al. Global Surgery 2030: evidence and solutions for achieving health, welfare, and economic development. Lancet. (2015) 386:569–624.
- Cordoba, LL et al. Physiotherapeutic approach to the preoperative period for the anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: A systematic review. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies. (2023) 33:88-94.