Unsolicited: Surgery makes you worse at first

Traumatic joint injury happens. Sometimes it’s necessary to surgically correct a joint structure.

Most people don’t understand what surgery usually does. Surgery doesn’t magically fix your joint problem. The idea behind many joint surgeries is, by making things worse at first, we can eventually make more things better later. 

What I am saying is understand how surgery works, so you get the most benefit out of it. 

Many people’s surgical outcomes are positive, but that “success” often doesn’t result in less pain, or better range of motion, or a decreased re-injury risk. Why?.

Warning: Surgery is invasive! 

You’re slicing & cutting & poking holes through your flesh, skin, muscle, and fascia. This is “Bull in a china shop” level invasive. It goes something like this:

1. In order to fix one trauma (Pain, loss of ROM from a torn or damaged rotator cuff);

2. We’ll create another, separate trauma (Poke 2 holes and 1 incision into the area, or make long deep incisions into our flesh); and

3. In doing so we are then able to correct the structural dysfunctions of the first trauma (reattach the torn, damaged rotator cuff);

4. Then, hopefully, the body will then heal itself from both traumas (the 2 holes, 1 incision, and the reattached rotator cuff); so

5. Then the structural corrections made will allow post surgery rehab to “fix” the initial movement dysfunctions, and, by extension, decrease pain.

Intense healing and rehabilitation of the joint structures needs to be initiated way BEFORE surgery. If not, post surgery rehabilitation is much more painful, often less effective and definitely takes longer to complete. Learning rehabilitation exercises while also trying to heal from surgery is not ideal. Better to learn and practice as much as you can before you see your surgeon. You’ll have less, “on your plate,” afterwards. We refer to this as Prehabilitation or rehabilitation that happens before corrective procedures are performed.

Prehabilitation:

• Helps to increase activation of support structures turned off by parasympathetic responses..

• Begins to correct ancillary structures that may have helped CAUSE the injury

• Teaches and trains the body for your rehabilitation program BEFORE SURGERY

The idea is to rehab as much as possible before surgery so there is less to do after surgery. So, when your Doctor sends you to physical therapy in the hopes of not needing surgery - assume you’re having surgery - and work hard at the physical therapist's office. Do all they ask. If ever there were a time when being a teacher's pet paid off, that time is now. Ask for homework, if possible. The more work done pre-surgery means less work needed post-surgery!

I’m just saying….