Rehabilitation Sessions

Rehabilitation from surgery promotes recovery.

For many illnesses and injuries, surgery is often a necessary solution; however medical massage techniques can help shorten the recovery and healing process after that surgery!

Massage Therapy for Rehabilitation can foster healing within the body, after it has experienced the trauma of surgery.

MLD can stop swelling before it happens.

Immediately following surgery, as the body goes through a basic healing process, it is natural for swelling to occur in the affected area. Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) can limit the buildup of fluid which causes the swelling.

Perhaps, most importantly, receiving massage after surgery can decrease the buildup of scar tissue.

Rehabilitation therapy improves joint movement and flexibility.

It is critical that natural movement is reintroduced to the parts affected by the surgical trauma.

I will work with you to design a plan involving exercises that will begin to strengthen the body and restore your range of motion and overall stability.

With time, you will be able to return to your normal level of physical activity. This is the goal of postoperative rehabilitation!

Rehabilitation therapy means proper healing and faster recovery.

Having a personalized plan can help your body heal properly and ensure faster recovery overall. Examples of this include minimizing scar tissue, re-establishing joint motion and function, and retraining muscles.

Knee and hip surgeries especially require therapy to help regain mobility for anything from everyday walking to something more physically challenging, such as running.

Teamwork means participation in surgical recovery.

Research has shown that clients who actively participate in their own recovery process typically have better results and recovery experiences than those who don’t.

I can help you figure out which methods for recovery will work best for you, as well as how to maintain that level of health afterwards, if not increase it.

Be proactive!

It may even be a good idea to schedule a few sessions prior to the operation, depending on what it is, to help strengthen your body ahead of time and find out more about what the recovery process may end up looking like for you.

For example, it’s been found that back surgery patients who prepared themselves for the surgery had a quicker recovery time than those who hadn’t gone through pre-operative rehabilitation.

It’s important to remember, however, that a surgery may last a few hours; but appropriate rehabilitation and recovery time will look different for different people and procedures, possibly taking anywhere from a few weeks to a year to complete.

Consult prior to surgery.

Therefore, it’s important to speak with your doctor and therapist before the actual surgery, so you know what you can expect in terms of recovery time. Knowing what to expect can help you mentally and physically prepare for what’s ahead.

While the time frame is something to keep in mind, postoperative rehabilitation is always worth the time it takes in order to maintain and improve a person’s overall health, both now and in the future.

Injury recovery requires addressing the source.

Pain and restrictions, whether from sudden injury, overuse, or chronic patterns, just seem to drain away our sense of well-being. During each session, I discuss your experiences, progress, and identify the sources that are creating your pain to design your treatment plan.

When pain is addressed at the source, the healing is faster and more complete.

Medication is not always the answer.

Most soft tissue injuries (muscles, tendons, joint capsules, connective tissue) may be treated just as effectively using manual soft tissue therapy instead of traditional injections, hard-core physical therapy, or rest and ice.

Obviously, if a bone is broken, a ligament torn, or bleeding from a wound, you should get that fixed by a medical doctor first, then manual soft tissue therapy can be applied during the recovery process.

Choose movement! Keep your body moving!

I’m sure you’ve heard that RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) is the best treatment for an injury. But it’s missing an important piece – movement!

Movement keeps fluid flow (blood and lymph), which is what will help move the swelling out of an area. Not sitting on the couch with a bag of peas on your knee.

But there’s a catch; pain-free movement is key!

Movement helps decrease the pain signals. Bodywork is a form of moving, as is walking around the block.

So, whether there’s a lot of swelling in an area or it just hurts, movement will get you out of the pain faster.

All of this is to say – don’t try to be a hero. Get imaging if you need it and refer out to a doctor if need be.

But I have a feeling you’ve been down that path already, and so far nothing has really helped.

Bodywork puts you back in control – of your body and your health.

No matter how long you’ve been dealing with whatever this is, no matter what label you’ve been given, and no matter what your MRI says… life without pain is possible. And I can help get you there… faster.

Where it hurts isn’t the cause!

Imagine your body as a giant corporation where every muscle is an employee. Anytime one employee isn’t pulling their weight or doing their work, someone else must step up and pick up the slack. Your body is no different.

The area that hurts isn’t always the root of the issue. Finding the actual cause will break you out of the pain cycle for good. If what you’ve been doing only gives you temporary relief – it’s time to try another approach.

Releasing the tension does not remove the pain.

Just releasing tension doesn’t help to reset the movement habits that led to the issue in the first place.

You want to release tension and use the pain-free window as an opportunity to retrain your body how to properly move and stabilize. You’ll find that your pain-relief is longer lasting this way.

When you are suffering from an injury or experiencing chronic pain, you want relief. You can go to a massage clinic and lay down and get petted for an hour. And sure, the massage feels wonderful, but does it resolve the issue? More often, you will have the same pain again the next day.

Rehabilitate, Recover, Remove Pain and Restriction.

Bodywork is a proven method to help you overcome past surgeries and restriction to movement as a result of pain.

Let’s work together to get you back to a healthy and happy life.

Call me today at (707) 514-6694, and let’s talk about how I can help you.