Don't Underestimate Your Rehab!
Wednesday January 11, 2006
Understanding your post-operative rehabilitation plan has been shown to correlate with how successful a patient perceives their surgical result. Patients who better understood their rehab plan prior to surgery, tended to have a better surgical outcome.
Orthopedic Rehabilitation
This study from London's Metropolitin University, and presented this week in San Diego at the International Cartilage Repair Society meeting, made the critical point that patients who felt they understood their rehab plan before surgery were most likely to have a good outcome. For more information about surgical rehabilitation:
Comments
My surgeon did not prescribe physical theropy after my surgury. I had a total hip replacement. He did a four inch incicssion procedure and said PT wasn’t needed. I have family members in rehab and occupational theropy and have had mass confusion about my recovery rehab. I did hire a PT myself for two sessions. Ten days after surgury. My surgury was almost four months ago. The doctor says I am ‘leaps and bounds’ ahead and am doing great. I feel okey, but seem to keep getting sore from ‘overdoing’. But my doctor said I should do whatever I feel I can and not sit around. Even ride my horse and hike mountain trails. I’ve tried to find out more why this doctor doesn’t use PT, but can’t. He is a well recommended doctor and supposed to be one of the best with latest tech in total hip replacements. Is he wrong?
Cathy: I’m a 67 year old male that is 4.5 months after total hip replacement surgery. I too have a 4 inch incision, but I had about 6 in-home PT sessions plus another 6-8 outpatient sessions. Within 6 weeks, my PT was done. At the end of 3 months, I was walking without a cane. However, like you, I still have residual pain after sitting and gets worse with increased activity. I take Tylenol to control. The pain is not hip joint pain, but leg muscles. I also have a deep leg bone ache ocassionally. But I am totally pain free when I sleep which is a major improvement compared to pre-surgery.
I saw my doctor on the 3 month anniversary of the surgery and was told that I was doing very well. I go back on the 1 year anniversary.
The residual pain is frustrating and will keep me from climbing ladders to decorate for Christmas, but other than that I am forcing myself thru the ache and beginning to regain an active life.