Are you having surgery in the future and feeling worried about the recovery? There’s good news: It doesn’t have to be scary if you work with an experienced physical therapist in a pre-surgical rehab program. Contact our Tucson office to learn more about the pre-surgical rehab process and how it can benefit you.
What Is Pre-Surgical Rehab?
Pre-surgical rehab therapy, sometimes simply called “pre-hab,” is a type of physical therapy that you do prior to surgery because it will yield post-surgery benefits. You’re probably already aware that you will need to go through a physical therapy program post-surgery to help you build up your strength and get your full range of motion back again. What you may not know is that starting the physical therapy prior to your scheduled surgery will help you recover faster and more easily. This might mean you need less pain medication, too!
Causes Of Surgery Today
Some of the main causes of surgery today include arthritis-related joint damage, a broken hip, and back problems like fractures or herniated discs. Often, the reason for surgery is that the pain has simply become unbearable. If this is the case for you, it’s understandable that you want relief as fast as possible.
However, it’s important to keep sight of your long-term health even when your surgery is only days or weeks away. No matter what the cause of your surgery may be, it’s very important that you work with a physical therapist both before and after the procedure. It’s quite common for doctors to recommend against surgery whenever possible today, but there are times that it is simply unavoidable.
If your medical doctor says that surgery is the right choice for your condition, the best thing you can do is to achieve the best physical shape possible to make the whole process easier on yourself.
How Pre-Surgical Rehab Helps
There are several goals for pre-surgical rehab. First, pre-surgical rehab is specially designed to help you get ready, both mentally and physically, for your upcoming surgery. Another important benefit of pre-surgical rehab is that you’ll be able to control the amount of pain and inflammation post-surgery. Most patients who undergo a pre-surgical rehab program experience a much quicker recovery because they’re not hurting.
Pre-surgical rehab can help you move more smoothly and easily after the operation because you learned the right movement patterns when you were at full health. Your range of motion will eventually be just as good as it was before your surgery — and you’ll achieve this more quickly thanks to your pre-surgical rehab.
The muscles that support the injured part of your body are absolutely crucial in your recovery, and pre-surgical rehab is a great way to get those muscles in peak shape ahead of the procedure. As you recover, you’ll find that the post-surgical rehab program is much easier than you expected thanks to your support muscles.
One of the best benefits of pre-surgical rehab is that you’ll be well acquainted with the recovery exercises when you finish the surgery. You won’t have to go through a steep learning curve or extensive training to do the exercises right — you’ll already have the perfect form that your physical therapist taught you prior to your surgery.
Most patients find it extremely beneficial to have the same physical therapist for both pre-surgery rehab and post-surgery rehab. If you already know your physical therapy team well, you’ll feel more relaxed and better prepared to face the recovery than you otherwise would.
The team at our Tucson physical therapy facility treats patients like they are valued family members. Whether you’re in need of pre-surgery rehabilitation, post-surgery rehabilitation or some other type of physical therapy treatment, we’re here to help you be your very best. Schedule your appointment at Tucson, AZ center with our physical therapy team today to learn more about how your pre-surgery rehab period can be one of great growth and great health.