Going through surgery—whether it’s to resolve an acute injury or a chronic condition—means subjecting your body to a trauma. Even when the surgery is successful, you’re going to have to heal and re-train the affected area of your body to function and act normally. And while incisions may heal with time, the window to rehabilitate your body’s function is finite, making post surgery rehab in Brampton critical.
When it comes to rehabilitation, there are two essential components that need to be observed: range of motion and strength. These two focuses will be key to giving your body the tools it needs to become whole again and leave you feeling normal after an invasive surgery. Take a look at why each is important:
- Range of motion focuses on making sure you have the full use of an affected area of your body. This means having full use of your joints and tendons, and being able to utilize a full scope of motor functions. As an example, it means being able to raise your arm above your head and move it from side to side without resistance.
- Strength training as part of rehabilitation means being able to utilize the affected area of your body with resistance applied. This is critical because without the capacity to withstand resistance, your body becomes weak and eventually, loses usefulness. As an example being able to lift a ten-pound weight.
Post surgery rehab in Brampton will combine both strength training and range of motion exercises to restore balance and strength to your body after a trauma, which means rehabilitating it to the point of normal use. If both facets are not rehabilitated, it can result in permanent damage and/or loss of function from the affected body part.
Generally, these two aspects of rehabilitation are clearly defined by a physiotherapist and will be used in tandem to rehabilitate a post-surgical patient. For example, a set of stretches may be given to increase range of motion, with resistance bands added to assist in strength training. Vice-versa, weights may be lifted to increase strength, with different variations of the same lift mixed in to increase range of motion.
As the rehabilitation process progresses, a tailored approach is taken to pinpoint where more focus is needed for recovery. For example, if after should surgery a person is able to lift a normal amount of weight, but struggles with range of motion, different exercises can be subbed in to focus on expanding that range of motion. In many cases this can also involve working nearby muscle groups to lend support to an affected area of the body.
If you’re post-surgery and are going through rehabilitation, some of the exercises can seem superfluous—know that you’re doing them for a reason and that they’re equally vital to your full and complete recovery. You might want to focus on strength or spend all your time increasing your range of motion, but one without the other is going to lead to a myriad of complications down the road. Trust in your physiotherapist and know that both aspects of post surgery rehab in Brampton are essential!