
Post-Surgery Rehab Habits to Speed Up Your Recovery

You’ve been dreaming of the day when you can move pain-free for a while now. However, there’s one more obstacle standing between you and a pain-free life: the recovery stage.
Recovering from surgery, especially an arthroscopic procedure, is typically smoother. There’s less bleeding, smaller incisions, and a reduced risk of infections. However, physical therapy is still essential to ensure you regain your mobility.
We asked our expert, Dr. Thomas Kane III, to explain why post-surgery rehab is important and how to recover as quickly as possible.
Why is post-surgery rehab so important?
During rehab, the focus shifts to rebuilding strength and mobility, which are crucial for maintaining a high quality of life.
Rehab offers several benefits:
- Preventing stiffness (movement breaks down scar tissue formed during wound healing)
- Building muscles (strengthening the muscles around the joint compensates for post-surgery muscular weakness)
- Speeding up recovery (increased blood flow to the surgery site accelerates healing)
Scar tissue is a natural part of healing, but too much can cause stiffness. Targeted exercises prevent excessive buildup by realigning collagen fibers—a process known as collagen remodeling.
After surgery, the muscles around the joint weaken. Strengthening them provides essential support and stability, improving joint mechanics and reducing the risk of instability and injuries, especially in the knees.
Finally, exercise speeds up recovery by boosting blood flow to the surgical site, delivering nutrients and oxygen, reducing inflammation, and accelerating healing.
While rehab emphasizes movement, managing pain is equally important. You shouldn’t work through pain; if you experience discomfort, speak to your medical provider about pain management options.
Additionally, rehab isn’t about overusing your joints. Your surgeon and physical therapist create a personalized plan tailored to your specific needs. This plan includes exercises, timelines, and precautions to recover safely and effectively. Overdoing it alone can cause more harm than good—balance is key.
The risks of skipping rehab
While surgery can remove damaged tissues, it’s still a traumatic event that requires proper aftercare.
Skipping rehab increases the risk of:
- Injuries (weak muscles around the joint are more prone to strain)
- Scar tissue (this can restrict joint movement)
- Blood clots (lack of movement can lead to clot formation)
By avoiding rehab, you risk chronic pain and stiffness—the very issues you hoped to resolve with surgery!
Learn more about how to recover successfully
Wouldn’t it be a shame to undergo surgery only to experience the same poor quality of life afterward? You’ll have a personalized plan and support with the right team to ensure a smooth, pain-free recovery.
If your knee, hip, or shoulder is bothering you and you’re considering surgery, contact us to schedule an appointment at our office in Honolulu, Hawaii. Our expert uses arthroscopic surgery to minimize tissue damage and will guide you through your recovery journey, helping you heal well and regain mobility.
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