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The process — the four phases of rehabilitation
The exact process always depends on the type of operation, how healing progresses and your surgeon’s instructions. Weight-bearing clearances, movement limits, orthoses and precautions are consistently taken into account.
1 · Protection and early phase
Reducing pain and swelling, protecting the operated structures, safely activating circulation and mobility, targeted muscle activation — plus getting up, walking and climbing stairs safely and using crutches or orthoses. After many operations, physiotherapy begins early; the exact start date and permitted load are set by the surgical team.
2 · Mobility and control phase
Gradually restoring mobility, improving joint and muscle control, gait training and normalising everyday movements, coordination and balance training, scar treatment once the wound has healed sufficiently — plus building a suitable home programme.
3 · Building strength and load capacity
Progressive strength training, medical exercise therapy, stability and endurance, single-leg stance, balance and reactive ability — preparing for everyday life, work and longer periods of exertion, with a controlled transition to more complex movements.
4 · Return to work and sport
Work- or sport-specific load building, strength, jumping, running and change-of-direction training (where cleared), functional tests to assess load capacity and a gradual return to training and competition — including strategies to prevent re-injury. Returning to sport should not depend solely on a fixed timeframe: what matters is healing progress, strength, mobility, control and the demands of the particular sport.
Treatment approach
We start by discussing the course of your operation, your doctor’s instructions and your personal goals. We then examine mobility, strength, swelling, gait pattern, coordination and functional load capacity. Depending on the phase, we combine active mobilisation, progressive strength building, manual techniques, gait training, balance training, medical exercise therapy, scar treatment and personalised home training.
Our aim is not just a short-term improvement in mobility, but to restore your independence, load capacity and confidence in your own body as safely as possible. If you have severe or worsening pain, new numbness or signs of paralysis, please see a doctor first.
If you develop painful swelling in one leg or calf, please contact your doctor straight away; if you experience sudden shortness of breath or chest pain, call 112 immediately.
Duration & fees
Standard sessions last around 30 minutes, and the standard physiotherapy rates apply. Frequency depends on the operation, the prescription and the rehabilitation phase. Longer training or performance sessions outside prescribed physiotherapy can be offered as a separate self-pay service if required.
Reimbursement: Up to 100% CNS reimbursement possible after musculoskeletal surgery (deadlines apply — details on the reimbursement page). All details & insurer links →
