Preparing for Surgery – 6 things you can do
6 Reasons why it’s important to not just sit and wait
Being on a waiting list for a bad knee, hip, shoulder or any other joint in your body can be a really frustrating time. It’s tempting to see the surgery date as a reason not to do anything in the meantime assuming that the surgery will solve all the problems and you can move on from there. It’s worth considering, though, that with a bit of work and preparation beforehand your chances of making a faster more pain free recovery substantially increase.
- Having surgery is traumatic to the joint and so exercising the muscles afterwards can be really hard. Your physio, who will be familiar with the procedure you’ll be having, can advise and demonstrate which exercises you can safely do beforehand to strengthen the area so that post surgery you’ll feel stronger quicker.
- Maintaining an adequate level of fitness of the injured tissues prior to surgery allows these tissues to stay hydrated and well supplied by nutrients.
- Injured joints lose their ability to balance, this type of skill is called “proprioception”. A joint whose proprioception has been exercised before surgery will be a more stable joint after surgery too.
- When it comes to legs, the good side needs attention too! Strengthening the opposite or good side will help your body to cope with the natural postural compensation that will follow surgery for the very first weeks.
- Focusing on the strengthening of the surrounding joint (say elbow and forearm if your shoulder is getting surgery) helps your body cope with the temporary lack of function that the operated joint will suffer.
- Getting a physiotherapist to understand your condition before surgery makes you feel in safe hands as well as confident in the rehab process yet to come.
At Kennington Osteopaths and Physiotherapy we offer support, treatment and advice pre surgery as well as rehabilitation packages to accompany you from day one after surgery to the full return to your every day routine, with patience, care, competence and professionalism.
