Every operation comes with its own precautions. A hip replacement may have rules about how far you bend, an ACL reconstruction has a staged plan for loading the knee, spine surgery has limits on lifting and twisting, and a fracture fixation has specific weight-bearing instructions. Our job is to respect these precautions while making sure you do not lose strength or become stiff from too little movement. We read your discharge summary carefully, and when something is unclear we ask you to confirm with your surgeon before progressing.
The first home visit includes a review of the operation notes and discharge instructions, a check of the wound area from the outside (we do not handle dressings unless asked by your doctor), pain, swelling, circulation, range of movement, muscle strength and how safely you can transfer and walk. We also look at the home itself: bed height, toilet height, bathroom safety, stairs and where you sit for most of the day. Small changes, like a firmer chair with armrests or a raised toilet seat, can make recovery much safer.
Family members and caregivers play a big role after surgery. We show them how to help with transfers, how to support exercises and which warning signs to watch for. In joint families, it often helps when one or two people learn the routine well so the patient can practise between sessions.
Rehab after joint replacement is closely linked with our knee pain physiotherapy and elderly care physiotherapy services, and many sports-related operations later continue into sports injury physiotherapy. Once the early phase is over and you are moving safely, some follow-up sessions can move to live video calls.
Please contact your surgeon or go to the emergency department straight away if you notice increasing redness, warmth or discharge from the wound, fever, calf pain and swelling, sudden breathlessness or chest pain, a sudden increase in pain with deformity, or new numbness or weakness in the legs after spine surgery. These need medical attention before rehab continues.
Recovery after surgery is gradual and varies from person to person. Age, general health, the type of operation, pain control and how regularly exercises are done all matter. We set realistic short-term goals for each stage and review them with you regularly.