Post-Surgery Rehabilitation in Bradford

Surgery repairs the problem. Rehabilitation is what gets you moving, working and living normally again. At WellCare Medical in Bradford, post-surgery rehabilitation follows your surgeon's instructions and is adapted to your pain, swelling and goals. Our physiotherapists guide you from the first careful movements through to a confident return to work, driving and sport.

• knee and hip replacements
• ACL reconstruction and other knee ligament and meniscus surgery
• rotator cuff repair and other shoulder surgery
• spinal surgery, such as discectomy or fusion
• fracture repair in the ankle, wrist, hip or shoulder
• foot, ankle, hand and elbow procedures

• Protect and settle. Managing pain and swelling, gentle movement within the limits your surgeon has set, and safe walking with crutches or a walker if needed.
• Restore movement. Regaining the joint's range with mobilization and stretching, and getting the muscles working again.
• Rebuild strength. Progressive strengthening and balance work, matched to how the repair is healing.
• Return to function. Practising the tasks you need for home, work and sport, with tests that confirm you are ready.

How long each stage lasts depends on the operation, your surgeon's protocol and how your body responds.

If your surgery is planned, a few visits with our physiotherapist or chiropractor beforehand ("prehab") can make recovery easier. You learn the exercises you will need afterwards, build strength, and practise using crutches or a walker.

Bring your surgeon's instructions, any restrictions you were given and your discharge papers. Your physiotherapist checks the wound area, swelling, movement and strength, and how you are walking and managing at home. They explain what is safe now and what to avoid, and set out the plan for the coming weeks. If anything in the protocol is unclear, we will ask you to confirm it with your surgeon's office before moving on.

Call your surgeon, or go to an emergency department, if you have increasing redness, warmth or discharge at the wound, a fever, calf pain or swelling, chest pain or shortness of breath, or a sudden increase in pain or loss of movement.

As you progress, massage therapy can ease tight, guarding muscles, and physiotherapy for joint stiffness addresses lingering stiffness. After knee or ankle ligament surgery, see physiotherapy for tendon and ligament injuries. Older adults often continue with balance and mobility training. For athletes, sports injury physiotherapy covers the final return-to-play stage.