How A Physical Therapist Helps Those With Weak Bodies After Surgery
Recovering after surgery often requires a lot of downtime for many people, much of which may be spent in bed. However, some people may stay in bed too long and affect their recovery in negative ways. Thankfully, it is possible to utilize physical therapy with a physical therapist to overcome this danger and keep a person healthy and ensure a better recovery time.
Too Much Bed Time May Complicate Surgery Recovery Time
Staying in bed (or on a couch or chair) after surgery helps a person's body recover when they can't move. For example, this rest time makes it easier for their stitches to heal by avoiding excessive strain. It can also help those with joint-related surgery get the rest needed to heal these delicate parts of the body. Unfortunately, all of this time resting may also impact a person's recovery.
For example, after the body has healed from surgery, it needs movement to become stronger. Joints that were operated on must move within their full range to get back to health. However, there's an unfortunate possibility that sitting too long may make it harder for a person to recover by weakening their joints. Thankfully, a physical therapist can provide therapy that makes this recovery easier to handle.
Ways Physical Therapy May Help
Physical therapy after surgery is a common need and can help a person who stayed in bed too long and suffered from difficulties with their recovery. For example, many physical therapists can provide treatments — like careful manipulations of weak limbs — that help restore a person's mobility. Therapy of this type works with the area's limitations to avoid injury, such as using slow and controlled movements on a joint that doesn't move easily.
Often, this process requires hands-on help, though it may also take the route of individual or at-home treatments when a person recovers more fully. For example, an exercise done in a physical therapist's office may be adapted for home use by integrating tools to make it easier. Often, this process helps to speed up recovery time and helps a person avoid weakening their body.
A standard physical therapy routine of this type may take several weeks or even months to properly finish, depending on the severity of a person's injury and surgery. However, the care sessions are likely to get more comfortable as it progresses because the injured area is likely to start healing and becoming more robust again. Physical therapists can increase the intensity of each routine to help strengthen the body even further.