Had A Shoulder Replacement? How Physical Therapy Works To Help You Recover
If you had shoulder replacement surgery, it takes a lot of time to recover. One thing your doctor will likely ask you to do is to have physical therapy. Below is information on how physical therapy works so you can get back to normal.
First Appointment
During your first appointment, the physical therapist will do an evaluation. The therapist will ask you many questions about how much pain you are in, your lifestyle, and your medical history. The physical therapist will also have access to notes from your doctor that prescribed the physical therapy to help them do your first evaluation. The physical therapist will then do a variety of tests, such as check your range of motion, check the strength in the affected arm, look at the surgical scar, touch your shoulder in different areas to see where you feel the most pain, and more.
When the evaluation is finished, the physical therapist will sit down and speak to you about what type of physical therapy you will have for your shoulder so you will know what to expect.
Physical Therapy
Once you start your therapy, you will start out slow with small exercises. This may be using bands that are much like large rubber bands to help gain strength in your arm muscles. The therapist may ask you to use small hand weights to help gain strength. The therapist will ask you to lie down on a table and they will move your arm in different ways and do stretches.
After therapy, you will likely be in pain. The therapist may use ice to help with pain and help with swelling you may have. Heat can also be used to help with pain and to make your muscles relax.
A TENS unit may be used to help with the pain. This is using a small electrical current directly on the affected area. A special tape known as kinesiology tape can be used to help with pain, as well as help to reduce swelling.
The physical therapist will ask you to do exercises at home also. They may give you these exercises on paper so you will remember them. It is important that you follow their recommendation. Doing your exercises at home along with physical therapy will give you a better chance of recovering quicker.
Your doctor will suggest how long you should have physical therapy. Your therapist will also have a big say in this as they will know if you need less or more time to heal.
