While doctors usually recommend it as a last resort, sometimes surgery is the right choice for helping someone with a painful condition or injury. However, surgery comes with some challenges that makes recovery long and difficult. Fortunately, physical therapists can help you improve the speed and quality of your recovery.

At Rehab Access in Belle Chasse, Louisiana, our physical therapists provide post-surgical rehab to help you recover from surgery with less pain, with more mobility and in a more timely manner. This service is important for everyone recovering from surgery, but it is especially important for seniors who want to stay as strong and healthy as possible.

Options for keeping balanced

As we age, we often find that our balance is not what it used to be. This can occur for a variety of reasons including:

• Muscle weakness
• Slowed reflexes
• Failing eyesight

Since falls are a leading cause of injury and death among seniors, it is important for physical therapists to help improve your balance in post-surgical rehab.

Gait analysis can show if you are compensating for muscle weakness. Analyzing your gait helps your physical therapist create a plan to help improve your balance.

The vestibular system located in the inner ear is responsible for our sense of balance. Vertigo and dizziness can occur when there is a disconnect between your inner ear and vision.

Vestibular therapy is another treatment option designed to help keep you on your feet. Specialized head movements are often used to dislodge small crystals that can cause vertigo and dizziness. Vestibular therapy also helps your brain readjust for the compromised balance issues, so you can feel normal again.

Options for joint replacement rehabilitation

The ultimate factor in achieving the highest quality of life after a hip or knee replacement often lies in the work put in after the surgery in the rehab program.

Our physical therapists are experts in designing a rehab program tailored to your individual needs. Treatments vary from person to person depending on their needs and the severity of their post-surgical condition. Generally, you can expect rehabilitation to include:

• Gentle strengthening exercises
• Gentle stretches for flexibility
• Hands-on therapy to help with pain, stiffness and scar tissue
• Posture guidance to help reduce strain off your recovering joints

Visit Rehab Access for post-surgical rehab

If you have an upcoming surgery or have recently had a surgery, it’s time to start planning your post-surgical rehab. Our physical therapists at Rehab Access in Belle Chasse are dedicated to helping people of all ages. Contact our team today for more information about post-surgical rehab or to schedule an initial appointment.