| What We Treat
Post-Surgical Rehabilitation
Surgery fixes a structure. Rehabilitation determines what you can do with it, and it is usually under-dosed.
Overview
What It Is
Most orthopaedic surgery is the beginning of recovery rather than the end of it. The tissue takes time to heal, protection is needed early, and then capacity has to be rebuilt deliberately. The commonest failure is not doing too much but stopping too early, at the point where pain has settled but strength has not returned.
Protocols Exist for a Reason
Early phases have real constraints and respecting them protects the repair. This is unlike most rehabilitation.
Symptoms
How It Tends to Feel
These are the features that point towards this diagnosis rather than another:
Weakness
Universal after surgery, and the slowest thing to return.
Stiffness
Time-critical after some procedures and deliberately protected after others.
Swelling
Normal for months, and its fluctuation is a useful guide to loading.
Scar Sensitivity
Common, and generally responsive to desensitisation.
Loss of Confidence
Frequently the real limiter once the tissue has healed.
Compensatory Habits
Movement patterns adopted before surgery that persist afterwards.
Causes & Risk Factors
What Drives It
The usual contributors, in rough order of how often they turn out to matter:
Surgical Trauma
Unavoidable disruption to muscle, capsule and soft tissue.
Protocol Constraints
Necessary early restrictions that cost range and strength.
Pre-Operative Deconditioning
Often months of reduced activity before the operation.
Premature Discharge
Rehabilitation frequently stops when symptoms settle rather than when capacity returns.
How We Can Help You
Treatment & Management
Treatment is built around what the assessment finds, but generally follows this shape:
When to Seek Help
Red Flags — Don’t Ignore These
Most presentations are straightforward. These features are the exceptions, and warrant prompt assessment:
⚠ Seek Medical Advice If You Notice
- Fever, spreading redness, heat or wound discharge
- Calf pain, swelling or warmth
- Sudden loss of function, or a pop followed by inability to use the limb
- Chest pain or breathlessness — seek emergency care
If any of these apply, contact your GP or seek urgent medical care rather than waiting for a physiotherapy appointment.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How closely do I need to follow the protocol?
Closely in the early phases, where a repair is genuinely vulnerable. Later on the protocol is a guide and progression should be driven by what you can actually do.
Why am I still weak long after it stopped hurting?
Because pain settles well before capacity returns. This gap is why so many people plateau — they stop when it feels better rather than when they are strong.
Can I do too much?
Early on, yes, and that matters. Later, the far commoner error is doing too little.
Not Sure If This Is What You Have?
An assessment will tell you what is actually going on and what to do about it. I see everyone myself, and you will leave with a plan rather than a leaflet.
Book Your Initial AssessmentThis page is for general information only and isn’t a substitute for individual medical advice. If you’re experiencing any of the warning signs above, contact your GP or seek emergency medical care as appropriate.