Why In-Home Physiotherapy is best for Post-Operative Rehabilitation

Talk to any orthopedic surgeon and they will tell you that given a technically sound surgical procedure, pre-operative and post-operative physiotherapy is critical to achieving an excellent outcome.

For ACL tears, medical studies have demonstrated the benefit of a pre-surgical rehabilitation program, where control of swelling and appropriate quadriceps strength are good predictors of who does well after surgery. Post-operatively, ACL reconstruction surgery patients benefit from three distinct phases. In phase I, restoring range of motion and minimizing swelling is key. Phase II focuses on core and thigh strengthening, while phase III prepares the patient to return to high-level sports, work, and activities of daily living by focusing on task-specific objectives, agility, and advanced maneuvers.
However, after surgery, in many cases, patients are not ready for a clinic-based physiotherapy program and instead it is recommended that they have physio treatments in the home.

Home care is beneficial for a few reasons. One is that after a major surgery it may be very challenging or unsafe for the patient to leave the home. For example, they may have difficulty with transportation or walking up and down steps or even walking at all. Another reason home care is important for these patients is that the physiotherapist can see how the patient functions in their own environment, allowing them a better perspective on what the patient needs and how to best help the patient safely and independently navigate their own environment, perform ADLs, etc. Many of these patients will then transition to a program in the clinic to advance their treatment when they are ready, but in the initial phases, the home visits are critical.

Patient-centered care is about convenience, empowerment, and optimising the road to recovery. At PCA, we believe that this pathway starts with your home physiotherapist who can personalise your treatment in the context of your environment whilst fitting it conveniently into your schedule.
PCA strives to restore your quality of life after surgery. For more information, call us on 0813 028 0496!