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Joint Replacement: Physical and Occupational Therapies
Joint Replacement: Physical and Occupational TherapiesAs you recover from joint replacement surgery, you may find doing certain activities challenging. Physical andoccupational therapists are there to help. A physical therapist will help you get up and moving and help youregain strength in your leg muscles through exercise and activity. An occupational therapist will help youperform activities of daily living, such as getting dressed and putting on your shoes - all things you must beable to do before being released from the hospital.Shortly after your joint replacement surgery, your healthcare provider and rehabilitation therapists will evaluateyour level of function. Everybody is different. This evaluation will help your healthcare providers design atherapy plan specifically for you. As soon as you are able become an active participant in your therapy plan.Work with your rehabilitation therapist to set recovery goals. There are activities you must do before beingreleased from the hospital, so having daily goals to work towards can give you the motivation you need to getmoving.In some therapy sessions, you will work one-on-one with your therapist. And some sessions may be in a groupsetting. Everything you learn during these sessions is important to both your short-term and long-termrecovery. The activities will help get you moving now, and after you leave the hospital, you will continue to dothese exercises to regain your strength and balance. If you have any questions about the specific exercises,ask your rehabilitation therapists. They are there to help.Recovery is a lot of work. To help you stay motivated, enlist the help of a friend or family member to be yourcoach. Not only can your coach give you the support and positive feedback you need, she can also learn someof the exercises with you to ensure you are doing them correctly later on. As you build your strength, you willbe able to do more of the activities on your own. To keep your recovery moving forward, continue to set newgoals. For example, if you can walk with a walker, perhaps walking with a cane is your next goal.After you are released from the hospital, continue to follow your rehabilitation plan. Your therapist mayrecommend you attend outpatient rehab sessions or continue therapy at home. Wherever you continue yourrecovery, your therapists will prescribe activities and exercises you must do to continue to reach your goals.The physical and occupational therapists you work with after joint replacement surgery are key members ofyour recovery team. But you are the most important part of that team. Follow the rehabilitation plan designedfor you. Set goals and do the exercises needed to reach those goals. Soon, the activities you foundchallenging after surgery will be automatic again and you can get back to doing the things you enjoy every day.This program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness,or suitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.VER59056B EN JointReplacementPhysicalAndOccupationalTherapies.pdf© The Wellness NetworkPage 1 of 1
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