Post-Operative Rehabilitation

Surgery repairs a structure. It does not restore the strength lost while you were waiting for the operation, nor the movement lost while the joint was immobilised afterwards. That is what rehabilitation does, and it determines a large part of the final result.

Surgery we commonly rehabilitate

Knee and hip replacement, ACL and other ligament reconstruction, arthroscopic knee and shoulder surgery, rotator cuff repair, spinal decompression and fusion, and fracture fixation.

Working to the surgeon's protocol

Every operation comes with restrictions — how much weight you may put through the limb, which movements are not allowed, and for how long. We work to the protocol your surgeon has set. Where there is no written protocol, we contact the surgeon rather than assume.

Several of our centres are located inside hospitals, which makes that coordination straightforward.

The phases

Weeks 0–2. Protect the repair, control swelling, prevent clots and begin gentle movement within the permitted range. Often delivered at home.

Weeks 2–6. Restore range of motion and reactivate the muscles that shut down after surgery. Quadriceps activation after knee surgery is the classic example, and neglecting it early costs months later.

Weeks 6–12. Progressive strengthening, balance retraining and normal walking.

Beyond three months. Return to full activity, and for sporting patients, a graded return-to-play programme.

Timelines

Knee replacement: most people walk comfortably by six to eight weeks and continue improving to around six months. ACL reconstruction: nine to twelve months before unrestricted sport. Rotator cuff repair: four to six months, with the first six weeks heavily restricted.