You're getting ready to have a total hip replacement to get rid of the pain in your hip from arthritis. Your doctor discusses recovering from the surgery at home as an option. Initially, recovering from surgery in the familiar surroundings of your home sounds inviting. But there are benefits from recovering at a short term rehabilitation facility that you won't get at home. Here are the advantages of using such a facility to recover successfully from your surgery.
Recovery Occurs in Multiple Phases
You'll spend a few days in the hospital after the surgery. Your doctor will be primarily concerned with the healing of the surgical site and any pain or swelling that occurs. You'll also get instructions as to how to get in and out of bed and a chair and how to walk with crutches. When your doctor is satisfied that there aren't any complications from the surgery, you'll be sent home.
The next phases of your recovery include:
- Physical therapy to regain the range of motion in your hip.
- Therapy to strengthen the muscles in your hip.
- Getting you back into the daily activities of your life.
It is during these phases of recovery that you'll benefit from being in a short term rehabilitation facility.
1. Your focus will be on your recovery.
With the support of the staff in the facility, your attention can be on your physical therapy and not on maintaining your home. Initially such tasks as preparing meals and keeping the house clean will be challenging. You can easily wear yourself out and decide to skip doing the important exercises for your hip. Being in a facility where you have help with these everyday tasks lets you focus your time and energy on your recover.
2. You'll have support with maintaining a healthy rate of recovery.
At times you'll feel very good and will be tempted to force yourself to overdo it to speed up your recovery. It's during those times that you can hurt yourself by straining the muscles in your hip, and setback your recovery. The staff at the rehab facility will help you to maintain the pace set by your doctor and physical therapist so you make steady progress without risk of injury.
3. You'll have help with your medication management.
Pain management during recovery from total hip surgery is important. You want to take your pain medication on a regular schedule and not just when you feel the pain. The staff will help you keep a schedule so you won't have pain during your physical therapy sessions and at night when you need your rest. They will also communicate with your doctor should you need additional pain relief as you increase your activity and exercise levels.
4. You'll have another set of eyes watching you.
Monitoring yourself during your own recovery can be challenging. You may think that you're progressing well, when in fact, you're behind schedule. The staff at the facility will track your progress carefully and point out when you're not doing enough or you're doing too much. Recovering from hip surgery is most successful when you make slow and incremental progress as you regain flexibility and strength in your hip.
For professional rehabilitation services, contact a company such as The Village At Morrisons Cove.
