Post Surgical Recovery / Rehabilitation
The treatment and rehabilitation of surgical orthopaedic conditions/injuries such as rotator cuff repairs, joint replacements, and fractured bones, requires specialised physiotherapy care. Our aim is to restore normal movement, reduce pain, and increase strength and function.
Our physiotherapists work closely with orthopaedic surgeons, doctors and other health professionals to ensure the optimum recovery from all types of orthopaedic injuries and post-surgical conditions. In many of these cases gym based rehabilitation is used.
Sometimes we will work with patients before surgery to achieve as much strength and movement as possible pre-operatively. This has been shown to improve the outcomes after surgery and optimise the healing processes.
Osteoarthritis Management
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, affecting 10% of all adults in New Zealand. The knee joint is most frequently involved, followed by osteoarthritis of the hip, and then other joints such as the small joints of the hands. The progression of osteoarthritis varies. Functional decline and worsening of symptoms is not inevitable, and most people do not have symptoms severe enough to warrant joint replacement.
Research has shown that appropriate exercise can reduce pain and medicine use while improving physical function, joint mobility, muscle strength, balance, mood and quality of life. Exercise also has other benefits, such as weight loss and reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. As physiotherapists we have the expert skills to guide you to the most appropriate exercise and physical activity for your arthritis.
We also use massage, acupuncture, heat, splints and gentle joint stretches to help manage your arthritis symptoms.
Chronic Conditions
A condition is described as chronic once it has persisted beyond standard tissue healing timeframes. Normally an injury should heal in approximately three months, but sometimes pain persists longer than that due to factors such as nerve sensitivity, muscle weakness or perhaps some underlying worn joints or tendons.
Certain conditions such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are chronic conditions because they are ongoing, and they need to be continually managed with appropriate interventions.
Physiotherapists are well qualified to assess chronic conditions and formulate suitable treatment regimes. In some cases this may include “hands on” treatments such as massage, manual therapy and acupuncture. In almost all cases it will include some strengthening, stretching and fitness exercises that will often need to be done long term as a lifestyle choice. Research has shown that keeping fit and strong will help control symptoms of chronic conditions and increase function and reduce pain.
Trauma Recovery
Pukekohe Physiotherapy prides itself in the many success stories they have had with patients who have recovered to normal function following significant life trauma such as motor vehicle accidents, and even in one instance a ‘dolphin’ landing on a patient!!
These patients usually start their treatment in the clinic, but may be quickly progressed to the pool and gym to be ‘trained’ back to normal function.