Early phase.
Protect the repair. Control swelling and pain. Restore range of motion. Wake up muscles that shut down after surgery, which happens more than people expect.
Orthopedic Pre & Post Op Care
Surgery is one day. Recovery is the rest of the year.
Orthopedic physical therapy in San Rafael before and after your procedure, from a board certified orthopedic specialist.
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Most People Start Recovery on the Day of Surgery. That's Late.
You got a surgery date and a packet of instructions. Somewhere in there was a line about physical therapy afterward, so you filed it under deal with it later.
Here's what that costs you. The strength you carry into the operating room is a large part of what determines how fast and how well you come out. A joint that's been protected and stiff for eight months while you waited doesn't come back on its own just because the mechanical problem got fixed.
The surgeon handles the structure. Everything around it is the part you and I work on.
Before Surgery: Prehab
If you have a procedure scheduled, the weeks before it are usable time. We build strength in the joint and everything supporting it, restore whatever range of motion is available to you, and get the surrounding muscles ready to do their job the moment they're allowed to.
We also handle the practical part. You'll learn how to use your walker or crutches, how to navigate stairs, how to get in and out of bed and the shower, and what to set up at home. Learning that while you're comfortable is easier than learning it while you're sore and on pain medication.
What Prehab Covers
- Targeted strengthening of the joint and supporting muscles
- Range of motion work within your current limits
- Gait training with whatever device you'll use afterward
- Home setup review and safe transfer practice
- A clear picture of what the first weeks will actually feel like
After Surgery: The Rebuild
Post op rehab has phases and they don't overlap. Push too hard too early and you set yourself back. Move too cautiously and you end up with a stiff joint that took months to earn.
I follow your surgeon's protocol and adjust the work inside it based on what I'm seeing in your tissue, your swelling, your range, and your response to load. That's what the 45 minute one on one session buys you. I can actually watch you move and change the plan in real time instead of handing you the same printout everyone else gets.
The Progression
Middle phase.
Progressive loading. Rebuild strength through full available range. Retrain normal gait so the limp doesn't become permanent.
Return phase.
Load the joint the way your life loads it. Balance and reaction training. Get you back to hiking, lifting a grandchild, or whatever you had to stop doing.
Common Procedures
- Total and partial knee replacement
- Total hip replacement
- Shoulder repair and replacement
- Rotator cuff repair
- ACL and meniscus surgery
- Spinal procedures
- Ankle and foot surgery
- Fracture recovery after immobilization
Have a Surgery Date? Let's Use the Time.
And if surgery already happened, that's fine too. Come in and we'll build the plan from where you are.