Preparing For Orthopedic Surgery

Increasing your speed of recovery and reducing pain from orthopedic procedures starts with physical therapy before surgery

Historically, physical therapy has been emphasized as a post-surgical rehabilitation activity. Today, however, we know that physical preparation and evaluation before most procedures can speed up recovery, reduce pain, and relieve while reducing the anxiety. In addition, becoming familiar with your therapist and the exercises he or she will recommend after surgery will make them easier to do. Beginning the physical preparation and planning for all your rehabilitation needs as soon as possible in anticipation of surgery not only improves outcomes and speeds recovery, but also reduces the most common frustrations most patients face with their physical therapy and rehabilitation. According to the American Medical Association’s most recent statistics, first-time knee re placements in the U.S. increased by 63% in only a seven-year pe riod from 1997 to 2004 while primary hip replacements increased by 48% in the same period, and these trends are expected to con tinue for the foreseeable future.