(NC) - When Toronto orthopaedic surgeon John Theodoropoulos is talking to patients about shoulder surgery, he explains that the procedure will only get them 50-per-cent better.
what I do is only half the battle - physiotherapy will take care of the other 50 per cent
Not that he’s anticipating a poor outcome, “But what I do is only half the battle - physiotherapy will take care of the other 50 per cent,” he says.
Patients prescribed an antibiotic wouldn’t expect to improve if they skipped doses, or didn’t take the medicine for the full period. When it comes to bones and joints, says Angelique Berg, executive director of the Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation, physiotherapy is frequently the prescription.
“After surgery, the patients who aren’t doing well are invariably not going to physio, or doing the wrong things in it,” says Dr. Theodoropoulos.
Laying on the couch and just letting time heal won’t work, he says. Without exercise, you lose muscle tone and bulk, and your joints get stiff.
Before she even considers shoulder or knee surgery, Dr. Jennifer Fletcher, an orthopaedic surgeon in New Brunswick, sends her patients for physio.
“With rotator cuff strains, for instance, 80 per cent of people get better just with appropriate physio,” says Dr. Fletcher.
It’s vital, she says, to have a qualified physiotherapist instruct you in the appropriate exercises, and then to follow the regimen at rehab and at home - no shortcuts.
The other ingredient for success? Patience.
Dr. Stewart Wright, a Toronto orthopaedic surgeon, notes that acute injuries can “settle down” in two to three weeks, and broken bones in a cast can heal in about six weeks.
“But soft tissue injuries can take 12-to-18 months to heal completely,” he says. “You need to stick with rehab, and do your part for full recovery. The investment you make up front will pay off.”
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