Post-Surgical and Therapeutic Exercise

Learning Objectives

• Describe the principles of tissue healing, including the stages of inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling, and their implications for post-surgical rehabilitation.
• Apply prehabilitation principles and identify evidence-based pre-operative interventions that improve surgical outcomes.
• Implement acute phase post-operative management strategies, including pain control, edema management, and early mobilization.
• Design subacute rehabilitation programs incorporating progressive range of motion, strengthening, and functional activities.
• Apply progressive strengthening and neuromuscular re-education techniques appropriate to post-operative recovery phases.
• Develop functional and activity-specific return programs based on objective criteria and clinical milestones.
• Apply evidence-based rehabilitation protocols for total knee arthroplasty and total hip arthroplasty.
• Describe rehabilitation considerations and protocols for rotator cuff repair and shoulder arthroplasty.
• Implement post-operative rehabilitation programs for spinal surgery, including laminectomy, fusion, and discectomy.
• Prescribe therapeutic exercise programs with appropriate parameters for intensity, volume, frequency, and progression.
• Select and apply outcome measures and return-to-function criteria to guide treatment and discharge decisions.