Post-Op Recovery

Recovering well after orthopaedic surgery depends on far more than the operation itself. What happens in the weeks and months afterward — how movement is restored, how strength is rebuilt, and how carefully activity is progressed — often determines how much function you ultimately regain. Physiotherapy is central to that process, whether you’ve had a knee or hip replacement, ACL reconstruction, rotator cuff or shoulder surgery, or another joint or soft tissue procedure.

Modern post-operative practice has shifted away from prolonged rest and immobilisation toward early, carefully guided movement. Research consistently shows this leads to better long-term outcomes than a “cast and rest” approach, which tends to accelerate muscle wasting (atrophy) and joint stiffness rather than protect the surgical site.

Why guided movement matters after surgery

Tissue healing after surgery follows a fairly predictable biological timeline, but the muscles, joints and nervous system around the surgical site respond to how they’re used during that time. Left immobile, muscles weaken quickly and joints stiffen, both of which can slow the overall recovery and make later stages of rehabilitation harder work than they need to be. Guided, appropriately staged movement protects the healing tissue while minimising this secondary loss of strength and mobility — which is the balance physiotherapy after surgery is built around.

What post-operative rehabilitation involves

Andrew works with patients recovering from a wide range of orthopaedic procedures, including knee and hip replacements, ACL reconstruction, rotator cuff and shoulder surgery, spinal procedures, and other joint or soft tissue surgery. Recovery is broken into structured phases, each with clear goals and criteria to meet before progressing to the next.

Early phases generally focus on managing swelling and pain and restoring basic range of motion within the limits your surgeon has set. Middle phases build strength and control around the joint, progressively increasing load as tissue tolerance improves. Later phases work toward more demanding function — returning to work duties, sport, or simply the everyday activities that matter to you — with a final stage often addressing balance, coordination or sport-specific movement patterns where relevant.

Moving through these phases too quickly risks setting back healing or aggravating the surgical site; moving too cautiously delays your return to normal activity unnecessarily and lets preventable strength and mobility deficits set in. Getting this balance right, phase by phase, is the core of what a good post-operative programme does.

Every surgeon’s protocol is different

There is no single generic timeline for post-operative physiotherapy, and it’s important not to rely on what a friend or family member experienced after a similar-sounding operation. Surgeons set specific protocols for their patients based on the exact procedure performed, the surgical technique used, and individual factors from your assessment and surgery — including precisely when weight-bearing, particular ranges of motion, or loaded exercise are cleared to begin. Andrew works within your surgeon’s protocol and clearance at every stage, adjusting the pace and detail of rehabilitation to what’s appropriate for your specific procedure rather than a one-size-fits-all schedule. If you’re not sure what your surgeon’s protocol allows, that’s worth clarifying before your first post-op physiotherapy session.

When to see a physiotherapist

For most procedures, it’s worth arranging your first post-operative physiotherapy appointment as soon as your surgeon’s clearance allows — sometimes within days of surgery. If you have a procedure scheduled, discussing your rehabilitation plan with Andrew beforehand is also worthwhile, and in some cases a short course of “prehab” — building strength and mobility ahead of surgery — can improve your starting point for recovery afterward.

Some symptoms after surgery need medical attention rather than routine physiotherapy. Contact your surgeon or seek urgent care if you notice signs of infection (increasing redness, warmth, discharge or fever), calf pain and swelling that could indicate a blood clot, sudden severe pain, or swelling that’s clearly beyond what you were told to expect for your stage of recovery.

Physiotherapy treatment for post-operative recovery

Once you have clearance to begin, treatment typically combines:

• Manual therapy to manage swelling, ease stiffness and restore range of motion in the joint and surrounding tissue as healing allows
• Exercise rehabilitation — a staged, progressive programme rebuilding the strength, control and function specific to your procedure and goals, adjusted as you meet each phase’s criteria

Alongside hands-on treatment and exercise, Andrew provides clear guidance on what activity is and isn’t appropriate at each stage, so you’re not left guessing between appointments.

What to expect from treatment

Andrew sets clear goals and criteria for each phase of your recovery, so progress is tracked against objective markers rather than how you happen to feel on a given day. Early sessions tend to focus on settling pain and swelling and re-establishing basic movement; later sessions shift toward loading and strengthening as your tolerance builds. Timeframes vary considerably by procedure — some soft tissue surgeries need only a few weeks of guided rehabilitation, while major joint replacements or reconstructions can take several months of staged progression.

Getting the most from your recovery

Consistency matters as much as the in-clinic sessions themselves — the exercises and activity guidance Andrew gives you between appointments are what actually drive the strength and mobility gains over time. If pain or swelling seems out of step with what you were told to expect at your stage of recovery, raise it with Andrew or your surgeon rather than pushing through or stopping activity altogether.