Surgical Patients & People with Pain

Pre & Post Surgical Patients and

People Suffering from Chronic Pain

Pre & Post Surgical Patients

The road to recovery doesn’t have to wait until after surgery. In fact, two aspects of the surgical experience critical to achieving a successful recovery are pre- and post-operative rehabilitation.

Pre-Operative Rehabilitation

Most of us are familiar with a comprehensive post-operative rehabilitation program designed to promote healing, reduce pain and swelling, restore joint mobility, flexibility and strength. However, many of us are not aware of the benefits of a structured pre-operative or “pre-habilitation” program.

This is a program designed by your physical therapists to help you prior to surgery so that you can have a great outcome after surgery. The goals of a pre-habilitation program:

Mentally prepare for surgery
Reduce pain and inflammation
Restore range of motion
Improving muscular control of the injured joint
Normalizing movement patterns prior to your surgery
Improved overall well-being and fitness
Gain a good understanding of the exercises that you will perform immediately after surgery

Post-Operative Rehabilitation

Physical therapy is typically indicated following an orthopedic surgery such as operations on the hip, knee, shoulder, wrist, hand, neck, foot, ankle, and spine to facilitate a speedy recovery. Physical therapy can start anywhere from a few hours to a few days after surgery and in some cases there may be a period of immobilization following surgery.

A patient’s ability to regain motion and strength and ultimately return to their daily activities depend on physical therapy. The body will not regain normal motion without specific retraining. Physical therapists are specifically trained to restore range of motion and strength without compensation and to prevent re-injury during the recovery process. The therapist can also provide the patient with specific guidelines to allow optimal healing.

After a thorough evaluation by a physical therapist, goals will be set to minimize the adverse effects of surgery such as pain and swelling as well as to restore normal movement, flexibility and function. The therapist and patient will work together to establish functional goals related to resuming normal activities of living as well as preventing an injury from recurring. The therapist will then design an exercise program tailored specific to the patient’s needs and abilities, and work.

Therapy is often divided into distinct phases. The first comes immediately after surgery when the body part may be immobilized while pain and swelling subside. Then comes a series of progressively challenging exercises to restore range of motion, stability, and strength. The final goal is to return the patient to a pre-injury activity level. Post-operative treatments may specifically include:

Strategies for pain reduction including modalities such as ice, heat, and electrical stimulation
Flexibility exercises to improve range of motion
Exercises to strengthen muscles
Posture, balance, and coordination training
Gait analysis and training
Manual therapy techniques
Self-care training
Home exercise instruction

Vetex One Clinic provides comprehensive injury rehabilitation program treats acute and chronic conditions resulting from any work-related or at-home injury.

INJURY REHABILITATION GOALS:

To return the injured worker back to work through individualized work-related injury therapy
To assist case managers, adjustors and risk/safety managers in reducing lost days.

As a part of our work or non-work injury treatment therapy, we perform Functional Capacity Evaluations, Return to Work Evaluations.

Work Conditioning:

If an injury at work has impeded your performance in the workplace, our work injury rehabilitation program provides an aggressive yet cautious approach to getting you back to work quickly and at an optimum performance level.

Your personal physical therapy begins with a comprehensive evaluation of functional limitations and areas of pain. Our team of expert physical therapists will design a treatment plan based on your work-related needs and goals. This includes real or simulated work activities specific to your job, such as lifting, climbing or keyboarding.

We take a team approach and will consult with your employer and case manager, if necessary. Throughout your treatment, we will work hard to help you return to all normal functional activities. When you are ready for discharge, you will receive a personalized home exercise program to allow you to stay healthy on the job, further enhance your rehabilitation outcome and prevent the possibility of re-injury.

Functional Capacity Evaluations

Your personal physical therapy begins with a comprehensive evaluation of functional limitations and areas of pain. Our team of expert physical therapists will design a treatment plan based on your work-related needs and goals. This includes real or simulated work activities specific to your job, such as lifting, climbing or keyboarding.
We take a team approach and will consult with your employer and case manager, if necessary. Throughout your treatment, we will work hard to help you return to all normal functional activities. When you are ready for discharge, you will receive a personalized home exercise program to allow you to stay healthy on the job, further enhance your rehabilitation outcome and prevent the possibility of re-injury.

Return to Work Evaluations

The Return to Work Evaluation is a modified Functional Capacity Evaluation. It is shorter in length and streamlined to the patient's specific job description and requirements. The information obtained is used to determine if the patient is physically able to return to work and perform his or her job safely and without complication.