Physiotherapy for joint replacement surgery – Prehab and Rehab

Physiotherapy before (pre-operative/prehab) and after (post-operative/rehab) joint replacement surgery is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) 2020 clinical guidelines. One of the main aims of physiotherapy is to improve post-surgical outcomes by establishing a routine of regularly doing your exercises.  Exercises should be modified as appropriate because you want to be working at an intensity and for as long as you feel comfortable without aggravating your pain.  Your physiotherapist can provide guidance and modifications to suit you.

Joint replacement patients should be offered post-operative rehab from a physiotherapist and most patients are often provided with a leaflet/booklet to enable them to continue exercising and managing daily activities when they return home.  This is according to a new clinical guideline, Joint replacement (primary): hip, knee and shoulder, published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

The goals of post-operative rehabilitation are to restore your physical function and independence with activities of daily living.  It can feel very daunting when you first return home from hospital, so feeling confident that you have adequate pain relief and knowing how to use heat and ice to help manage discomfort and allow you to do your rehabilitation exercises can help.  Your physiotherapist can provide support, advice and changes to exercises to enable you to work at an intensity and for as long as you feel comfortable without aggravating your pain.

After your operation, the muscles and tissues surrounding your joint replacement will take time to heal. It is therefore important that you follow certain precautions, for example avoiding putting your hip into a position that could risk dislocation. Your physiotherapist will advise you on these precautions and the length of time they must be followed for.

The goal of your rehabilitation is to get you back to the activities that you enjoy whether that is walking, golf, swimming, Pilates etc., etc.  Physiotherapy can help you achieve this.