Treatment · Physical therapy in Dallas, TXPost-Surgical Rehabilitation

What post-surgical rehabilitation is for

Surgery repairs a structure. It does not restore strength, range or confidence, and those three decide whether you are pleased with the result a year later. Post-surgical rehabilitation is the part of the recovery that rebuilds them, step by step, within the limits that protect the repair.

The work changes as you heal: protecting and calming the joint first, then range, then strength and control, then whatever your life asks of the joint. The order comes from your surgeon’s protocol; the pace comes from how your body responds, measured at every visit.

There is a longer explanation of the early phase in what the first six weeks after surgery decide.

Why the first weeks matter so much

Muscle loss after surgery is rapid. Part of it is disuse; a larger part is reflex inhibition, where swelling and joint pain switch the muscle off however hard you try. That is why a quadriceps will not tighten after knee surgery, and it is not a matter of willpower.

Range follows the same rule. Range lost early is harder to regain later, as scar tissue matures and the joint capsule tightens. Full knee extension is the clearest example: easier to keep than to recover.

So the first appointment should come soon after you are home, and the first weeks are spent on swelling, range and switching the muscle back on — the unglamorous work that sets the ceiling for everything after.

Blood flow restriction after surgery

The bind after surgery is that the muscle needs heavy load to get strong, and the repair cannot take heavy load yet. Blood flow restriction is one of the few tools that addresses that directly.

A cuff on the upper thigh or arm partially limits blood flow while you exercise with light weight, and the muscle responds as if the load were much heavier. It is used when your protocol and your screening allow it; a history of blood clots, for example, can rule it out. See blood flow restriction therapy and how early BFR can start after surgery.

Hands-on work for stiffness and scar tissue

Some joints get stuck after surgery despite good exercise. Joint mobilization, soft tissue and instrument-assisted work around the scar, and dry needling of muscles that have been guarding since the operation are used where the examination says the restriction is, and only once your surgeon has cleared the area to be treated.

Where an area is still too swollen or sore to be touched, PEMF can be used as part of the session: it is FDA cleared for post-operative pain and swelling in superficial soft tissue. It is an adjunct, never the treatment on its own.

Rehab at home in the weeks you cannot drive

After a knee or hip replacement or a lower-limb operation, getting in and out of a car is often the hardest part of the early weeks, and after a right-side operation you may not be allowed to drive at all. Mobile visits bring the full 60-minute session to your home in Dallas and the surrounding areas.

Home visits have a second benefit: the stairs, the bed, the shower and the chair you actually have to manage are assessed and practiced where they are. When you are ready, sessions can move to the clinic on North Central Expressway. See mobile physical therapy.

Before surgery: prehabilitation

If your operation is scheduled, the best time to start is before it. A visit or two beforehand records your baseline, builds strength while the joint still allows it, and teaches the first exercises while nothing is sore. It also means the plan and the first appointment are already set when you come home.

If you are still deciding whether to have the operation, physical therapy before orthopedic surgery covers when a trial of therapy makes sense first.

Who you see, and how it is paid

Every visit is 60 minutes, one-on-one with Dr. Brent Lockett, PT, DPT, who also holds a Diploma in Osteopractic from post-doctorate residency training and certifications in dry needling, spinal manipulation and blood flow restriction therapy. Nobody else runs part of your session.

The practice is out-of-network: you receive a superbill at the end of every session to file with your insurance for potential reimbursement. A six-visit plan is $840 and a twelve-visit package is $1,560; both are discounted against single sessions. See sessions and packages.