Post op physical therapy is designed to aid the recovery process. Usually the progression is linear and proceeds as anticipated. However there are times when a patient experiences a setback. Instead of having less pain and more range of motion, the person backslides or remains in a plateau. Frustrations mount. Anxiety and disappointment prevail.
If you find yourself in such a predicament, don’t panic. In most instances, your body is just telling you to slow down. As individuals, we recover at different rates. Your physical therapist will tweak your protocol to conform to your response.
In the meantime, it’s wise to adjust your mental outlook. Consider using these 5 points as a guide.
- Acknowledge the Temporary Nature of Your Situation.
No matter how devastating our struggles, disappointments, and troubles are, they are only temporary. Josh McDowell
- Embrace Patience- If your body is sending messages, listen and respond accordingly.
Patience is not simply the ability to wait – it’s how we behave while we’re waiting. Joyce Meyer
- Remain Balanced- Don’t overreact and stay calm.
The key to keeping your balance is knowing when you’ve lost it. Anonymous
- Reestablish Control.
If you’re trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I’ve had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it. Michael Jordan
- Maintain a Positive Outlook.
There are plenty of difficult obstacles in your path. Don’t allow yourself to become one of them. Ralph Marston
Over a month ago, I endured a 3+ week post-op recovery setback. Within no time, I saw my attitude start to change. I feared that my shoulder would not heal properly.
Instead of falling prey to this negativity, I chose to fight back. As a result, I am sharing what I learned in the process. I hope that my final month of recovery will remain on track. If not, I will look back to these 5 tips.
- Do you have any additional suggestions?
***My shoulder recovery included a second setback. A month or so after posting this blog, my arm had a very limited range of motion. I was diagnosed with frozen shoulder.
In order to keep my recovery on track and regain my range of motion, I agreed to have an injection. I thought that the surgery would be the end of injections. I was wrong. After a few detours, I fully recovered from the surgery. I’m thrilled that I can swim again and no longer experience any pain in my shoulder or upper arm.
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Bio
Sandra Bornstein is the author of MAY THIS BE THE BEST YEAR OF YOUR LIFE. It is available on Amazon.
Sandra’s memoir highlights her living and teaching adventure in Bangalore, India. She is a licensed Colorado teacher who has taught K-12 students in the United States and abroad as well as college level courses. Sandra is married and has four adult sons.
The memoir was a finalist in the Travel category for the 2013 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, the 2013 International Book Awards, the 2013 National Indie Book Excellence Awards, 2013 USA Best Book Awards, and a Honorable Mention award in the Multicultural Non-Fiction category for the 2013 Global ebook Awards.
Hi, I’m two weeks out of decompression surgery still have so much soreness over the shoulder and upper arm. I’ve been doing PT at home and gaining range of motion. I am scheduled to start PT with a facility this week and I’m wondering how do you know when you’re pushing yourself too much. If I can avoid a setback I surely want to. With the amount of time I was in pain before the surgery and the pain post op I just want to get better. I’m a 51 year old female and my rotator cuff was very weak and frayed, they took a half inch of bone off. The first two weeks I was ridden with pain. I finally took a corner where it’s bearable. I’ve been doing pt daily at home, the pendulum swings, stretching arms across the table in front of me, squeezing shoulder blades together.
My question is do you think you did too much too fast? I read other places to stop at the point where it hurts as it can worsen inflammation and stop progression.
My brother in law did nothing but the pendulum swings / circles and he is back to playing golf. Makes you wonder….
Linda, Some surgeries are more painful than others. Shoulder surgery falls into that category. Also, keep in mind that everyone responds to surgery differently. What may work for your brother-in-law and me, may not work for you. Some people require more PT than others. My primary goal in PT is to restore strength, range of motion, and if possible flexibility as well as make sure that dual parts such as arms and legs are as even as possible. I’d like to avoid, if possible, a future injury.I can’t stand being in pain and left on the sidelines of an active lifestyle. There is a fine line between normal post surgery pain and pain that comes as a result of doing too much. It can be a hard call. Unfortunately, I have had more than my share of orthopedic and general operations. While I’m always eager to return to my daily routine, I listen carefully to my body and try not to intentionally push too hard during the early recuperating process. If you have specific questions about pains or discomforts, I wouldn’t hesitate to ask your doctor and/or PT. It’s part of their job to help you through the rehab process. Good luck. I hope that your recovery stays on track and you’re able to do the things that you love soon. If you have more questions, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Hi Sandra,
I am Shikha and I live in Bangalore 🙂
I had a shoulder decompression surgery a month back. I have been doing my PT regularly and I found myself recovering quite well in the initial 3 weeks. With that as encouragement, I tried to stretch a little bit more than I was comfortable. This seems to have backfired as I am experiencing pain once again and have started moving in the reverse direction. If I skip PT for a couple of days, will that affect my range of motion or delay my recovery process too much? Is experiencing inflammation a normal part of the PT process?
On a different note, staying positive through the recovery process and not falling prey to fear is something that I keep reminding myself. To read what you went through brings me a lot of assurance.
Hi Shikha, Thanks for your patience. It’s always hard to predict what can cause the rehab process to go off schedule and when you need to back off from an exercise routine. A well-trained physical therapist is your best resource since he/she knows what you should or should not do. I hope within the last couple of weeks your recovery has gone back on track. Keeping a positive outlook is as important as staying focused on your rehab process.
It’s been 4 weeks since my Surgery, I was reasonably strong prior to the Op, I Been really lucky no pain and already have a very good range of flexibility.
I followed the Rehab plan with addition exercises given by the physio to strengthen the supporting muscles, I have returned to climbing with low intensity so far no issues.
My rehab was 3 sessions daily with around 1hr cardiovascular on the turbo trainer or jogging.
I had major doubts prior to the Op, but really please how pain free and progress that I have make.
Keeping positive and keeping up with the rehab has worked.
Chris, Thanks for sharing. I am glad that your post op rehab regiment is going well. I agree that a positive attitude adds to one’s success. Good luck. Sandy