Surgery is often just the first step — what happens afterwards determines how well you recover, and how confidently you return to the activities that matter to you. Our post-surgical rehabilitation programs are built around your surgeon’s specific protocol, your goals, and a realistic timeline, rather than a generic “knee” or “shoulder” program applied to every patient regardless of procedure.
Why protocol-led rehab matters
Every surgical procedure comes with a tissue healing timeline specific to what was repaired or reconstructed. Progressing rehabilitation too quickly can put a surgical repair at risk; progressing too cautiously leaves strength and function unnecessarily delayed. Modern post-surgical rehabilitation increasingly uses criteria-based progression — moving to the next stage once specific strength and function benchmarks are met, not simply once a certain number of weeks has passed.
What to expect across your recovery
- Early phase: protocol-aligned management of swelling, pain, and protected range of motion
- Middle phase: progressive strengthening and functional retraining as tissue healing allows
- Late phase: higher-level strength, control, and (where relevant) sport-specific or work-specific retraining
- Return to activity: objective testing to confirm readiness, rather than clearance based on time alone
Our approach
- Protocol-aligned, staged rehabilitation, working directly from your surgeon’s specific post-operative guidelines
- Regular reassessment as you progress through each recovery phase, adjusting where needed
- Progressive loading and strengthening, addressing the specific deficits your procedure and recovery stage present
- VALD performance testing before clearing higher-level activity, particularly after significant lower limb procedures — targeting benchmarks like 90% strength symmetry between limbs
- Direct communication with your surgical team where needed, keeping your rehabilitation and surgical follow-up aligned
Procedures we commonly support
Knee reconstruction and replacement, shoulder rotator cuff and stabilisation repair, hip replacement and arthroscopy, ankle ligament reconstruction, and spinal discectomy or fusion recovery. For ACL-specific rehabilitation, see our dedicated ACL Rehabilitation page.
Whether you’re recovering from a joint reconstruction, spinal procedure, or other orthopaedic surgery, our physiotherapists guide you safely and confidently from early recovery back to full function.