Orthopaedic Rehabilitation

 

Orthopaedic rehabilitation benefits those who have had some form of orthopaedic input. This is a large area of specialism that will benefit you if you are preparing to undergo or have undergone surgery or if you have suffered some form of trauma. It includes anything from a shoulder dislocation to a total hip replacement or even a broken leg.

Events happen that are often beyond our control; having physiotherapy input aims to ensure these events do not go on to affect our lives.

 

Post trauma or Non-surgical input

Trauma can occur at anytime. More often than not a trip to A&E results in little more than a tubi-grip and advice to rest, occasionally an x-ray reveals a fracture or a dislocation that will require a period of immobilisation.

Any period of immobilisation (although extremely important in the early phases of some injuries) does cause changes within a joint. Contractile tissues like muscles will shorten and weaken as a result of inactivity and inert structures such as ligaments and cartilage will become stiffer. These changes will result in the joint not feeling "normal". Simple mobilisation techniques and advice on appropriate exercise from a Physiotherapist can change that.

On the other hand if an x-ray does not show any damage it’s equally important to see a Physiotherapist who through accurate assessment skills may be able to diagnose any soft tissue damage and treat appropriately.

 

Pre-Operative Physiotherapy

Often in the lead up to surgery your condition may have caused some secondary changes. Such changes may lead to aches and pains in other joints but most importantly slow down your recovery. If dealt with early correcting things like muscle wastage and abnormal movement patterns can save valuable time in the post-operative phase.

You can also benefit from learning more about what to expect from your recovery and what your surgery may entail.

 

Post-Operative Physiotherapy

Whether it is return to sport or to walking the dog we aim to get you there quicker. Through accurate assessment we can pick up on problems and imbalances early and monitor your progress in close liaison with your Consultant.

Unfortunately some people who have had surgery continue to suffer with pain or have a prolonged period of recovery. This is often due to other musculoskeletal problems. By this we mean tight, stiff or weak structures. For example: Pain after a total hip replacement may actually be the result of weakness in the gluteal (bottom) muscles that causes poor stability during walking as opposed to an error with the replacement itself. Equally pain in a footballer’s knee post-arthroscopy may be due to weakness of one of the quadriceps muscles or damage to one of the ligaments. These problems can be corrected with the appropriate advice and guidance from your Physiotherapist.