A physical therapy program for both before and after your joint program is an absolute must. By stretching and strengthening the joint before surgery you create healthier tissues and speed recovery significantly. By keeping the new joint mobile using gentle stretching, you keep scar tissue to a minimum and help make sure that your new joint feels new. By doing both you minimize the amount of pain around the joint after surgery. By improving your overall wellness with things like stress reduction, smoking cessation, and weight loss your overall vitality and ability to recover is boosted.
Benefits of Physical Therapy for Joint Replacement
Working with a physical therapist will help you get back to everyday life quickly. You will regain the range of motion, strength, and pain free movement that you haven’t felt for years. If you need the help of canes, walkers or wheelchairs, your PT will teach you how to use these correctly.
Taking a proactive and upbeat attitude will make you easily overcome the emotional challenges that joint replacement causes. Also harnessing the power of the placebo effect might help you heal a bit faster.
Hear what our patients have to say
I have so many great things to say about Tony. He is a deeply kind, caring, skilled, and dedicated therapist unlike any other my family has encountered. In the wake of covid isolation and other health issues my elderly mother had become physically weak and emotionally depleted. Tony working with my mother has done so much for her physical and emotional health it is hard to describe. We are so grateful for all of his care. He has helped my mother regain physical confidence and lifted her spirits. Tony is a truly unique therapist and I whole heartily recommend him. He will impress you.
How long should you do physical therapy after a joint replacement?
This depends on the joint and how healthy you are in general, but usually around 2 months.
Can Physical Therapy Help Loosen Tight Neck Muscles?
Physical therapy is great for helping to loosen tight neck muscles. GoTherex provides you with one-on-one time with your Physical Therapist, who can teach you neck pain exercises that will help alleviate tight neck muscles now and help prevent you from having them in the future.
What kind of physical therapy do you need after joint replacement?
Gentle stretching and mobility exercises, breathing exercises to reduce stress and pain, and eventually some light resistance exercises to rebuild strength.
How long does it take for a joint replacement to heal?
This depends, but for knees and shoulders it is roughly a year, and for hips it is about 6 months. You can speed up the process by strengthening the relevant muscles.
Can PT replace surgery?
If you catch joint issues soon enough, often you can avoid surgery altogether! By working with a physical therapist you might will be able to restore the range of motion, strength, and pain around the joint to normal levels.
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