Patients who are recommended for any type of musculoskeletal surgery (spine, ACL, hip, knee, etc.) are often required to complete post-surgical rehabilitation for several weeks after surgery. Post-surgical rehab is a type of physical therapy that focuses on restoring strength and mobility to the section of the body that was operated on. For example, someone who has had ankle surgery may go through post-surgical rehab to learn to walk again and to eventually gain the strength to run and enjoy an active lifestyle.

If you have been recommended for post-surgical rehab, it’s important to understand what to expect out of your treatment. Going in with the wrong expectations could cause frustration, which can hinder your recovery. Take a moment to read through what is expected during the post-surgical rehab offered by our Franklin Rehab team, and feel free to reach out to us with any questions you may have.

Three expectations to have about post-surgical rehab

Before beginning your post-surgical treatment, it’s important to make sure your expectations for your rehabilitation period are accurate. Here are three things we like to tell our patients to keep in mind prior to starting therapy:

1. Results don’t happen overnight — Regardless of the prime athletic shape you were in (or not) prior to surgery, your body is not going to recover overnight. It takes time and energy to train your body back to where it was, and that often requires a lot of understanding on the patient’s part. Don’t get frustrated, and always voice your concerns with your therapist.
   
   
2. It’s not going to be easy — Even though your rehabilitation often consists of movements that would have been easy for you prior to surgery, post-surgery movements are infinitely more difficult. Give your body some grace as it relearns strength and flexibility in the recovering area.
   
   
3. Do the homework — Maybe we should have listed this first. Our post-surgical rehab plans are built around you maintaining the lifestyle we are teaching even outside of your therapy sessions. It is directly correlated to your recovery time. If you are not walking every day like we recommend, or doing our other recommendations, you are likely not going to make the progress that you want to see.

Schedule your post-surgical rehab appointment today

If you have a surgery coming up and you have been recommended for post-surgical rehab, contact our team at Franklin Rehab today. We can schedule an initial appointment for you and answer any questions you may have.