By Sinead Nolan
Physiotherapist at Life Ready Physio + Pilates Warwick

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Following any surgery, the success of recovery depends hugely on your dedication to rehabilitation. 

At Life Ready, we know that your rehabilitation must be specific to you, your lifestyle, your goals and of course, your specific surgery. While your surgeon will skillfully execute your surgery, the road to recovery begins as soon as you leave the operating theatre. 

While your injury will be corrected in surgery, you may continue to experience pain, stiffness and a lack of mobility for some time during your surgery recovery. Physiotherapy after surgery can help you recover from these issues. It is very common to experience post-operative pain for many months after certain surgeries. Some patients can find it difficult to regain a normal sleeping pattern, while some struggle to rebuild their physical fitness and find the rate of progress frustrating.

As a physiotherapist, I believe that the most important consultation I have with my surgical patients is the pre-operative consultation, where I can help my patients to mentally prepare for what is ahead. I find that when my patients know what to expect in terms of postoperative pain, restrictions and mobility, it makes it easier to deal with these issues in the acute postoperative phase, which can be both physically and emotionally draining. I develop a treatment plan with my patients, specifically tailored to their goals, and find it helpful to discuss post-operative rehabilitation expectations and to develop a realistic plan to kick start their recovery.

In Life Ready, we count ourselves lucky to work amongst a team of therapists that can help you along your journey to recovery. In conjunction with post-operative physiotherapy, Life Ready offers remedial massage which can be extremely helpful as a part of surgery recovery. Our remedial massage therapist Jaine Konarik, explains why she is passionate about post-operative massage and it’s benefits:

“Following surgery, clients may be feeling stressed and experiencing muscular tension in the body. Tension may be felt in areas associated with emotional stress such as the back neck and shoulders, soft tissue trauma around the surgical site or tension in muscles due to compensatory holding or walking patterns. Remedial massage can be beneficial in addressing areas of muscular and soft tissue tightness and assisting in restoring functional movement.” 

Clinical evidence supports the use of remedial massage as part of surgery recovery, with benefits including: 

• A reduction in
  • Stress and anxiety 
  • Pain 
  • The incidence of deep venous thrombosis 
• Relaxing of sore, tight muscles 
• Increased circulation and lower blood pressure
• Boosting your immune system
• Encouraging better sleep 
• Improving mental health, relieving symptoms of depression
• Improving posture
• Improving and reducing scar tissue 

Alongside physiotherapy and remedial massage, we also utilise Clinical Pilates and supervised exercise rehabilitation to rebuild your strength and physical ability following surgery. Many of our patients have found Clinical Pilates an excellent way to gently reintroduce loading and exercise following surgery and have found it an effective stepping stone on their journey back to optimal fitness.

At Life Ready, we ensure that your pre and post-op management plan is specifically tailored to you and your goals, whether that means to walk without pain, to return to recreational exercise or a high level of athleticism, or to be able to keep up with your grandkids. 

We know that no two recoveries are the same, so we’re here to support you from start to finish of your surgery recovery. From hands on physiotherapy, to massage therapy and exercise rehabilitation, your rehabilitation plan will be unique to you and will develop as you progress, as our team of therapists work together to ensure you achieve the most optimal outcome. Learn more about our approach to post-operative care here, or if you’d like to reach out to us with a query or booking, contact us today.