...as well as rehab for common post-surgical procedures
The prospect of having joint replacement is daunting.
“How much pain will I have?”
“How long is the recovery?”
“Will I ever get back to doing the things I haven’t been able to do?”
These are reasonable questions and we are here to help you answer them.
We strongly advise patients to come in for therapy BEFORE they have joint replacement surgery. This “PREHAB” serves to help you get your joints moving, start to build some strength and prepare you for the surgery and recovery process. Most people only need a few sessions before their surgery but studies show that doing prehab dramatically improves the chances of a successful outcome.
After surgery, (or after a stay in inpatient rehab), your doctor will refer you for outpatient physical therapy. The goal is to help you get the most function as possible, as quickly and painlessly as possible.
At Forward PT we are the Movement Specialists For Seniors. Our therapists have tons of experience treating post-op hip and knee replacement patients. As a matter of fact, this is one of our primary areas of specialty.
Our therapists provide one-on-one, evidence-based physical therapy treatment sessions to help facilitate your recovery and return to activities of daily living (ADLs), work, recreational activities and even competitive sports. During the course of your recovery, we maintain regular communication with your surgeon to ensure your progress matches your surgeon's expected outcome.
The rehabilitative process depends on the injury and type of surgery. We help patients recover and rehabilitate from a variety of orthopedic post-operative joint replacement, tendon, and ligament reconstructive procedures, including:
- Knee, hip and shoulder joint replacements
- Reconstruction of any one or more of the four major knee ligaments: anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), medial collateral ligament (MCL), posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) and lateral collateral ligament (LCL)
- Arthroscopic knee surgeries (such as meniscectomies, meniscal repairs)
- Ligament and tendon repair, including Achilles tendon repairs
- Arthroscopic hip surgeries (such as labral repairs)
- Nerve releases (such as cubital tunnel, radial tunnel, carpal tunnel, tarsal tunnel)
- Neck and back surgery (such as fusions, laminectomy, decompression and discectomy)
- Nerve compression release
- Bone or joint fusion (arthrodesis)
- Tendon transfers
- Surgical fixation of fractures, including open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF), a two-part surgery used to fix broken bones where the broken bone is reduced (put back into place) and an internal fixation device is placed on the bone (e.g., screws, plates, rods or pins) to hold the bone together
- Shoulder post-surgical recovery for rotator cuff tears, labral tears, superior labrum anterior and posterior (SLAP) tear or lesion, arthroscopy and more
Some of the treatments used to accomplish the goal of regaining movement and reducing pain, swelling and stiffness may include one or more of the following:
- Manual therapy (Soft tissue, scar tissue and/or joint mobilization)
- Gait and balance training
- Therapeutic and rehabilitative exercise to help increase strength, endurance, motion, balance and coordination
- Functional strength training
- Functional re-education
- Deep Tissue Laser Therapy
- Electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)
- Ultrasound
If you are considering joint replacement surgery or already have it scheduled, call us as soon as possible to set up an appointment for prehab as well as to schedule your post-op evaluation, to avoid delays in the continuity of your treatment.
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