Have you had a diagnosis of a complete tear of the rotator cuff? Or a labral tear? Or repetitive shoulder dislocation? These are all diagnoses that can lead to a surgical intervention with an orthopaedic specialist.
There is always a place for physiotherapy services pre-surgery. In some cases, this can help to avoid surgery altogether, prepare the patient for surgery, and result in an improved outcome and rebound to function post-surgery. In general, a patient that has conditioned pre-surgery will have a better post-surgical outcome. That can be specific to the area of the painful injury, or it can be in a general sense regarding endurance exercises for overall health. Both options are optimal. In some cases with regards to a complete tear of the rotator cuff, 12–24 months of physiotherapy can get you back to sport. But often, elective surgery is selected.
If the outcome of choice is surgery, the benefits of pre- and post-surgery with physiotherapy are clear and each have a differing focus. First of all, pre-surgical physiotherapy’s focus is on maximising range of motion, strength, proprioception, and general conditioning for surgery. And post-surgery, there is a post-surgical protocol given by your surgeon to ensure that the exercises are an appropriate load and range of motion to ensure the protection and proper healing of the surgical site to guarantee the best outcome from the surgical intervention.
Your physiotherapist is a university-trained professional that is most qualified to lead you through this process. Physiotherapy is central and important to commit to in partnership with your physiotherapist professional for often months post-surgery. The rehabilitation journey takes commitment together to achieve your patient goals for long-term optimisation of function.
As always, we at East Gwillimbury Physiotherapy are happy to serve our community and surrounding regions of Newmarket, Aurora, Bradford, and the broader York Region.
