Recovery after orthopedic surgery, week by week
Post Op Physio Recovery Bunion surgery is usually worth it when a bunion hurts and limits your life despite wider shoes, not for looks. Most people are satisfied, but recovery takes months and bunions can come back.
Use the weeks before a knee replacement to strengthen your leg, set up your home and get your health in the best shape you can. Prehab exercises, equipment, what to arrange, what to bring to hospital, and the health steps that lower complication risk.
After Brostrom ankle ligament surgery, most people are off the foot for 2 to 3 weeks, in a boot for a few weeks more, and walking normally by 8 to 10 weeks. Return to sport usually takes 3 to 6 months, and balance training decides how well the repair holds.
Rotator cuff surgery is usually worth it for a sudden tear with real weakness, especially in younger people. For slow, wear-and-tear tears, about 3 in 4 people do well with physical therapy and avoid surgery.
Some people with a torn ACL do well without reconstruction, especially if they avoid pivoting sports and their knee stops giving way after rehab. About half of those who start with rehab later choose surgery. Who does well, the meniscus risk, and questions to ask.
It’s time to talk about a shoulder replacement when pain wrecks your sleep and daily life and exercise, pain relief and injections have stopped working, not just because the X-ray looks worn. Here are the signs, what to try first and what results to expect.
The best preparation for shoulder surgery is to practice living one-armed before the operation and fix whatever turns out to be hard. Here’s how to set up your clothes, sleep, food, home and transport before the day.
It’s time to consider a hip replacement when hip pain is limiting your life and a proper trial of exercise, weight management and pain relief hasn’t changed that. The decision rests on how much the hip costs you, not on your X-ray or your age.
Anterior hip replacement can make the first few weeks slightly easier, but by about three to six months the results match posterior surgery and long-term results don’t differ. Your surgeon’s experience with their approach matters more than the approach itself.
Start preparing for hip replacement about six weeks ahead: keep exercising, stop smoking, sort out dental and skin problems, raise your seats, clear trip hazards and line up help for the first week or two at home.