Pre & post-operative rehabilitation
Optimise your recovery and return to activities with a physiotherapist.
Recover better with a physiotherapist.
Sterling Physiotherapy has extensive experience in working with patients throughout their pre and post-operative rehabilitation phases and can provide you with the knowledge and guidance for you to make a full recovery.
Our team works closely with surgeons across Melbourne who want to ensure their patients receive the best care following an operation.
Our patients often include athletes and high-performance individuals after their sports-related surgeries, workers recovering from a workplace injury, as well as people who have undergone major surgeries like a knee joint replacement or an ACL reconstruction.
We understand that having an operation is a significant decision and our goal is to make sure you are always informed, prepared and taken care of every step of the way.
Common surgical procedures
Arthroscopies - including shoulder, wrist, hand, hip, knee, ankle and foot
Tendon & ligament reconstructions - including ACL reconstruction, rotator cuff repair, Achilles and other tendon repairs
Joint replacement - including shoulder, hip, knee and ankle replacements
Spinal surgery - including discectomy, laminectomy, spinal fusions
Bone surgery - including fractures, bunionectomy, osteotomies and realignments
Hernia repair - including open repairs and laparoscopic repairs
Assessment & treatment
Prior to your surgery, we will make sure you receive all the information you need about your recovery process. This includes discussing the role of physiotherapy, an overview of the stages of your rehabilitation, the equipment you may need after the operation (e.g. crutches, arm slings, ankle boots etc.), and some practical tips on how to manage your daily activities in the early weeks after your operation, such as planning your domestic tasks and re-arranging your living and work set up ahead of time.
After the operation, our early sessions will focus on assessing the wound healing, your range of movement, strength and pain levels. Once the wounds have healed, we may utilise any appropriate manual therapy such as soft tissue techniques to address scar tissue formation or mobilisation techniques.
Your exercise plan
Before your surgery, it is important that you continue to exercise as per our advice – the fitter and stronger you are before surgery, the better your recovery will likely be. This stage is generally referred to as pre-habilitation or “Prehab” and is vital to reducing the effects of muscle wastage and faster recovery after an operation.
After your surgery, the journey to recovery begins! Based on your goals, we will help you plan the next stages of your rehabilitation, implementing strength and conditioning principles in your exercise program.
Every individual’s rehabilitation is different, and we always make sure that your exercise program has specific targets and milestones for you to reach. Most of your post-op sessions will involve exercising – it is very much a collaborative effort in assessing your progress, discussing your challenges along the way and setting new targets for the next session.
Our communication
Sterling Physiotherapy works closely with your surgeon throughout the entire process. Each individual surgeon may differ slightly in their recovery protocols in the early stages of your recovery, and we will actively consult with your surgeon about their instructions prior to your post-op sessions.
With your consent, we will also provide them with updates on your progress. This ensures all clinicians are up-to-date with your recovery milestones and you receive advice that is consistent, no matter who you have an appointment with.
Let us help!
Complete the contact form or get in touch with our team to schedule an appointment about your pre & post-operative rehab.
P: (03) 9381 7865