What Is It Like Recovering From Orthopedic Surgery?

Orthopedic surgery can be a frightening but invigorating experience to go through, especially if you have chronically had arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, a traumatic ligament injury, or some form of the disease that has affected your ability to enjoy your life fully. If you’ve recently received surgery, the rehabilitation will be your guide towards moving and recovering from your condition. Recovering will take time and effort, but from our patients, we’re here to show you what rehabilitation has done for those we’ve helped along the way.

Your Guide to Post-Surgical Rehabilitation

Recovering from your surgery will take time; that is the first aspect of rehabilitation to remember after your orthopedic surgery. Your body will have to first go through the basic healing process to remove any of the subsiding pain from the surgery, which can take between 6 months to a full year, depending on the surgery you’ve received and the condition treated. In these moments, you’ll most likely be immobilized and limited to certain activities as your body begins to recover.

Once that pain and swelling subside, your orthopedist will prescribe multiple treatments to get your body moving and regain its normal function. At-home treatments can include physical therapy, occupational therapy, and specialized therapy treatments such as hand therapy. You may also receive therapy at either a rehabilitation facility or hospital location. In these cases, physical therapy aims to increase the range of motion, improve function, and help gain strength and mobility back to the areas of your body suffering the most. Orthopedic rehabilitation can take as little as a few days to as long as several months after the basic healing process to repair the function of your tendons, ligaments, and joints in your body.

Physical therapy for orthopedic surgery can include treatments such as:

• Exercise
• Manual therapy
• Therapeutic ultrasound
• Phonophoresis
• Electrical stimulation
• Iontophoresis
• Heat/cold/light therapy

In these moments, we recommend patience. Be kind to yourself. Maybe even enjoying the experience of growth and recovery. Having realistic expectations for your recovery will help you out in the long run. It can remove any negative pressures placed on yourself that involve returning to your former self. Surgery is a huge, drastic, and life-changing procedure that affects the lives of the individual in pain and those around them in numerous ways. As orthopedists, we focus not only on immediate treatment but also on life-long treatment that improves people’s lives every day. Recovery won’t just happen in one night; it takes time, and having a positive attitude towards your outcome is the best way to full recovery.

If you would like to learn more about how to find best an orthopedic surgeon who can treat your chronic condition, please contact Dr. Luc Teurlings for more information. Scheduling an appointment with Space Coast Orthopedics in Merritt Island, FL can help you gain the mobility and pain relief needed to regain your life, treat your condition, and recover under our orthopedists’ guidance.