Surgery fixes the structural problem — the worn joint gets replaced, the torn ligament gets reconstructed, the fracture gets held together. What happens next is a different job entirely, and it's the part that decides how well you actually move, walk and function afterward. Whether you've had a knee or hip replacement, an ACL or PCL reconstruction, a fracture fixed with plates and screws, or a spine procedure, a structured physiotherapy plan is what turns a successful operation into a genuinely good outcome. We work from your surgeon's notes and protocol at every stage, so nothing here works against what they've already achieved.
This isn't one single program — it's an umbrella term for the structured physiotherapy that follows almost any orthopedic operation. Joint replacements, ligament reconstructions like ACL or PCL repairs, fractures held together with plates or screws, spine surgeries — the specifics differ enormously, but the underlying goal stays the same: get the joint moving, the muscles working, and daily function back, without asking the healing tissue to do more than it's ready for.
Every plan starts from your surgeon's operative notes and whatever precautions or restrictions they've set — hip precautions after a hip replacement, weight-bearing limits after a fracture fix, brace rules after a ligament graft. We build sessions around those specifics rather than a generic discharge sheet. And because healing moves through stages, what's appropriate at two weeks looks nothing like what's appropriate at ten.
Any operation causes trauma to the tissue around it — that's simply how surgery works, not a sign anything went wrong. Combine that with the period of reduced movement that follows almost every procedure, and some stiffness and muscle wasting is close to guaranteed if nothing is done to counter it.
Scar tissue is the other half of the picture. As the surgical site heals, new tissue forms around the joint and along the incision line, and without early, guided movement, it can bind down and restrict range before you've even noticed it happening. Gentle mobility work at the right time is what keeps that from turning into a long-term restriction.
There's no single answer here — it comes down entirely to what was operated on and what your surgeon's protocol specifies. For some procedures, gentle movement begins within days; for others, there's a deliberate window of protected rest before any loading starts at all. What matters most is following that timeline precisely, then progressing steadily as each milestone is met.
Get in touch as soon as you're medically cleared to begin, or earlier if you'd like to understand what the plan will look like ahead of time. It's also worth reaching out if you're already a few weeks in and progress feels slower than it should — often a small adjustment to the approach is all that's needed.
The plan changes as healing progresses — what we do in week one looks quite different from what we do in week eight. Here's the general shape it takes.
We go through your surgeon's notes and whatever precautions have been set, then check how the area is moving, how much swelling is present, and how pain is behaving from day to day. That tells us exactly where to start and what to stay clear of.
In the early phase, sessions stay focused on gentle movement and managing swelling, always within the boundaries your surgeon has set. This stage isn't about pushing — it's about keeping things moving safely while the deeper healing carries on underneath.
As healing milestones are met, we move into progressive strengthening and functional retraining — walking normally again, managing stairs, and working back toward your job or sport, whatever that means for you specifically.
Which of these we use, and when, depends entirely on your stage of healing and your surgeon's protocol — not every technique belongs in every week of recovery.
Hands-on joint mobilisation and soft tissue work to ease stiffness and help the area move more freely again.
Guided movement and strengthening exercises, progressed carefully as your protocol allows more load.
Gentle, targeted stretching that keeps forming scar tissue from restricting your range of motion.
Progressive resistance work to rebuild the muscle lost to the operation and the inactivity around it.
Heat, TENS or similar modalities used for pain relief and swelling control in the earlier weeks.
Structured practice walking correctly again — especially important after lower limb or spine surgery.
Exercises that rebuild the balance and stability that time off your feet tends to affect.
Supportive taping to help manage swelling and give the area some feedback between sessions.
There's no single timeline here, because it depends so heavily on what was actually operated on. Rehab after a knee replacement follows a very different curve to rehab after a shoulder reconstruction, and both look different again from recovery after a fracture fix or a spine procedure.
Broadly, gentle mobility work often begins within days to a few weeks of surgery, and full functional recovery can range anywhere from two to three months up to a year, depending on the procedure and how your body responds. Your physiotherapist will map out a realistic timeline specific to your surgery and your surgeon's protocol once they've assessed you directly — that's a far better guide than any general estimate.
It depends heavily on the procedure and your surgeon's protocol. Some operations call for gentle movement within a day or two, while others need a period of protected rest first. We follow whatever your surgeon has specified rather than a fixed rule, and build from there once you're cleared to begin.
Some discomfort, especially a pulling or aching feeling as stiff tissue is worked, is expected and generally fine. Sharp pain, or pain that lingers well after the session ends, isn't — that's a sign we need to dial things back. We grade every session to what you can tolerate that day.
Movement lost in the weeks after surgery gets harder to win back the longer it's left. Scar tissue tightens, muscles keep wasting, and the joint or area can end up stiffer than it needed to be. Progress is still possible later on, but it usually takes longer and needs more patience than starting on time would have.
A knee replacement usually pushes for range of motion and walking ability fairly early, since the joint surface itself has been resurfaced. An ACL reconstruction has to respect the graft's own healing timeline instead — certain movements and loads stay restricted for months regardless of how good the knee feels, because the new ligament needs time to mature. Same joint, quite different pacing.
Yes, and it's meant to be. We work within whatever precautions and medications your surgeon has put in place — we're not working around them. If anything in your protocol changes along the way, just let us know and we'll adjust the plan to match.
We track things like range of motion, swelling, strength, and how well you're managing functional tasks such as walking a set distance or climbing stairs. Comparing those numbers session to session tells us whether to progress the plan, hold steady, or ease off somewhere.
That varies enormously by procedure and by how physically demanding your job or sport is. Someone recovering from a straightforward fracture fix with a desk job might be back within a few weeks, while an athlete returning to full sport after an ACL reconstruction is often looking at closer to nine to twelve months. Your physiotherapist will give you a timeline specific to your case rather than a general estimate.
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The right physiotherapy plan, built around your surgeon's protocol, makes the difference between a slow recovery and a steady one. Come in and let's map out what your next few weeks should look like.
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