Arm Surgery Physical Therapy Rehab  

Recovering From Arm Surgery

Recovering from an arm surgery often requires time and careful planning. Except for very minor procedures, physical therapy is often recommended to help your arm recover and to help you return to your prior activity levels. If you have never worked with a physical therapist or undergone surgery you may be curious what to expect from physical therapy. In this article, we will outline the benefits, goals and common treatment interventions for post-surgical rehabilitation of the arm. 

APPROACHING ARM SURGERY

Choosing surgery is rarely an easy decision but sometimes it is the best course of action to address an injury or chronic condition. While many people participate in physical therapy long before they opt to undergo an operation, many will not. Emergency surgeries or acute injuries for which surgery is the only treatment option do not allow for time spent participating in prehabilitation. Instead, these patients will meet their PT for the first time after their surgery.

If you are planning to undergo surgery in the future, selecting your physical therapy or physical therapy clinic ahead of time is always a good idea. As long as your surgeon has given you the green light, you can schedule your first post-surgery appointment before you even have the surgery. This ensures you can begin rehabilitation as soon as you are allowed. You can also plan your schedule to allow time for physical therapy appointments. 

As mentioned above, very minor arm surgeries may not require physical therapy, but most other surgeries can benefit from some type of rehabilitation. If you are undergoing any of the surgeries listed below, you should consider working with a physical therapist if this is not already recommended by your surgeon:

• Rotator cuff repair

• Total shoulder replacement.

• Arthroscopy for frozen shoulder.

• Acromioclavicular joint repair for arthritis.

• Surgery for shoulder impingement syndrome

• Biceps tendon repair

• Ulnar nerve decompression

• Total elbow replacement

• Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction

• Fracture repair

• Carpal tunnel surgery

• Tendon repair

• Arthroscopic Debridement

PHYSICAL THERAPY AFTER ARM SURGERY

Physical therapists are healthcare professionals, movement experts, and highly trained in the evaluation and treatment ofmusculoskeletal and neuromuscular injuries, conditions and surgeries like those listed above. Working with a physical therapist has many benefits over leaving your recovery up to chance. Physical therapists can assist with the following:

• Protection of the surgical site to ensure the repair is not compromised

• Monitoring of the surgical site to look out for signs of infection or poor healing

• Pain management strategies

• Inflammation and swelling management strategies

• Management of non-involved areas of the body to limit atrophy and deconditioning

• Advice on adaptive equipment

• Active recovery that neither progresses too quickly to re-injure the surgical site nor too slowly to prolong recovery

• Guidance on returning to activities at the right time and in the right manner

• Advice on how to minimize the chance of re-injury

Now that you understand some of the benefits of working with a physical therapist after arm surgery, it is time to review some of the treatment interventions you may encounter during your appointments. One thing to keep in mind is that a good physical therapist will individualize a treatment plan just for you. The treatments listed below are general interventions that you may encounter, but when it comes time for your own physical rehabilitation, it may look different. 

Physical therapy interventions following arm surgery strike a balance between protecting the surgical site and facilitating healing. In the end, the goal is to help you return to as many daily tasks as possible with minimal to no arm symptoms. Below are examples of treatments that can help achieve these goals:

Modalities to manage pain, and inflammation and to promote tissue healing: These can include treatments such as electrical stimulation, ultrasound, laser therapy, dry needling, heat and ice

Manual therapy interventions: Manual therapy includes treatments performed by the therapist’s hands or specialized tools. Soft tissue mobilization, myofascial release techniques, joint mobilizations, ASTYM and many other types of manual therapy interventions can be applied to help improve the health and mobility of joints and soft tissue.

Range of motion and flexibility interventions: Often muscle length and joint range of motion are reduced following surgery. This can be caused by pre-surgical pain, muscle weakness or stiffness or by periods of immobilization, muscle weakness, swelling or pain following surgery. Passive range of motion, stretching and mobility exercises can be prescribed to help address these impairments.

Strength training: Muscles are often weakened after surgery. Restoring normal strength is essential to facilitate return to normal function. Strength training is prescribed carefully based on the stage of healing you are in.

Neuromuscular Re-education: Not only do muscles need to regain strength, they often need to regain motor control. Specialized neuromuscular re-education exercises are prescribed to improve the timing, control and coordination of muscles which improves arm function and decreases injury risk. 

Sport and work-specific Tasks: Returning to sport and work are often goals of those undergoing arm surgery. Later on in your rehabilitation, it is important to begin training your arm to withstand the demands of your sport or job. This aspect of physical therapy should not be skipped. 

Whether you are planning ahead for your surgery or have already completed it, it is not too late to schedule your first physical therapy appointment. Our team of physical therapists at Evolve is highly skilled and experienced in post-surgical rehabilitation of the arm and ready to help you get started on your recovery. Call Evolve today to get started on your recovery from arm surgery. 

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About EvolveNY-

Brooklyn's Premier Holistic Physical Therapy Clinics-

There’s physical therapy, there’s training, and then there’s EVOLVE. We use the science of biomechanics merged with fitness to help our patients get better and stay better!

First we evaluate, then we heal, then we strengthen our clients so they can reach their goals, feel better, and live happier lives. We do so by utilizing a range of core techniques and specialized treatments to reduce pain, improve mobility, enhance physical strength and deal with the underlying issues, not just the pain itself.

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