Surgery of any kind can be an intimidating and overwhelming experience.

No matter what kind of surgery you are facing, we communicate with your surgeon and obtain knowledge of the surgeon’s protocols in order to achieve the best rehabilitation outcome. We will advise you on how to manage at home with your cast or crutches and help you with pain control. Lastly, we will help answer any questions that may not been fully addressed by the surgeon.

Here are just a few specific examples of this kind of rehabilitation:

If you have had a fracture where the joint was immobilized in a splint or cast, the joint will be stiff when the cast is removed. Exercises and manual (hands on) therapy such as joint mobilisations, are needed to restore full range-of-motion.

If you are going to have joint replacement surgery, it can be helpful to attend physiotherapy before the surgery.  We will address your questions about the surgery and rehabilitation and teach you a regimen of exercises to keep you as strong and as flexible as possible. The stronger you are before the joint replacement, the easier the post-surgical rehabilitation process will be.

After a total knee replacement your joint will be stiff and sore. We guide you through exercises, teach you to walk better, and use hands-on techniques to decrease pain and improve range of motion.

After a total hip replacement you need to be shown how to safely move onto your side and at a later stage, how to lie face down without risking dislocation. We will review with you the post-operative precautions that you will need to know. You will also be taught how to walk and negotiate stairs better and how to strengthen the hip and back to prevent strain in other areas. Eventually, you will gain enough strength and balance to walk well and return to the regular recreational activities that you enjoy.

 

Immediately following an anterior cruciate ligament repair, the knee is swollen and stiff. Physiotherapy treatment is provided to reduce swelling and increase knee flexibility. Once some early healing has occurred, we will show you progressively more difficult exercises to regain strength, balance and stability. Before return to sport, we will test your ability to hop, jump, sprint to meet all the other physical demands of your sport. It is important to ensure your readiness to return safely and perform well without risk of re-injury.

After other types of joint surgery ( to repair for example, a dislocated shoulder, a torn rotator cuff muscle, a shoulder joint replacement, or spinal surgery), we provide physiotherapy treatment to ease any pain and teach you specific strength and stability exercises. The length and strength of the surrounding muscles must be balanced to rehabilitate successfully. This step is crucial in regaining the full, pain-free movements that you enjoyed prior to injury.

Call us at 604 568 4628 for more information on any of our physiotherapy services. Even if you don’t see a treatment on the list, give us a ring and we’ll be glad to point you in the right direction!