Orthopaedic Physiotherapy

As a home visit physiotherapy service operating in Staffordshire and the West Midlands we see a large number of patients who have had orthopaedic procedures and are recovering from a variety of surgical procedures. Our home visit physiotherapy service is based in Lichfield and our mobile physios visit areas such as Sutton Coldfield, Tamworth, Rugeley, Walsall and Cannock.

This section tries to give more detail about some common orthopaedic procedures, how physiotherapy is an essential part of the recovery and rehabilitation process and the ways in which our home visit physiotherapy service can enable you to make the maximum possible recovery.

Knee Replacements: 

A knee replacement - involves replacing the whole joint (including the knee cap) with an artificial joint. This is a major operation involving a significant stay in hospital (usually around 3-5 days) and as such will require a large amount of rehabilitation and physiotherapy.

Whilst in hospital the physiotherapists will concentrate on getting you walking with a frame and also help with getting your knee moving again.

Once released from hospital you will need a large amount of intensive physiotherapy to improve range of motion, increase strength, improve walking and reduce the amount of aid you need from crutches. This is the part where we can help you get back to where you want to be with our home visit physiotherapy service. Our physiotherapists will be able to see you daily (if required) and will be able to help you maximise your recovery by mobilising your knee joint, assisting with your walking, helping with strengthening and providing a comprehensive exercise and rehab plan.

Our home visit physiotherapy service is based in Lichfield and serves surrounding areas such as Sutton Coldfield, Tamworth, Rugeley, Walsall and Cannock. So if you have had a knee replacement and need physiotherapy in Lichfield and surrounding areas please get in touch.

 Hip Replacements:

A hip replacement is a major operation and will usually involve a stay in hospital of at least 5 days to recover and recuperate - during this period you should receive daily physiotherapy aimed at increasing mobility and function. Once out of hospital intensive physiotherapy will be an essential part of making a full recovery and getting back to where you want to be.

Physiotherapy and rehab will initially be aimed at improving mobility, function and strength and our physiotherapists can be there daily if required. You may receive NHS physiotherapy but due to resource constraints it is unlikely that you will receive enough input to make optimal progress - in this case our home visit physiotherapy service can supplement this provision and ensure you get the recovery you want. So if you or a relative have had a hip replacement and you would like to know more about how our home visit physiotherapy service can help then please don't hesitate to get in touch. We are based in Lichfield and serve surrounding areas such as Sutton Coldfield, Tamworth, Rugeley, Walsall and Cannock.

Shoulder Replacement:

This is a relatively uncommon procedure and will usually require an extensive stay in hospital and a large amount of physiotherapy and rehabilitation. Here the whole shoulder joint is usually replaced including the head of humerus and glenoid fossa (ball and socket part of the joint). This can bee seen in the picture to the right - here the ball and socket have both been replaced with artificial components.

Recovery will be lengthy and require physiotherapy to assist with range of motion and strength. Our physiotherapists will be able to assist you with this process and help you reach your maximum potential by coming direct to your home, reducing the difficulty of getting to a physiotherapy clinic and ensuring that any rehab is suitable for your home environment. 

Our home visit physiotherapy service is based in Lichfield and offers physiotherapy to assist with recovery from a shoulder replacement in surrounding areas such as Sutton Coldfield, Tamworth, Rugeley, Walsall and Cannock.

 Ankle Replacement:

As with the shoulder replacement discussed earlier this is a relatively uncommon orthopaedic procedure and is likely to require a reasonable period of time in hospital. In this case the whole ankle joint is replaced with an artificial one. The recovery process is likely to be lengthy and physiotherapy to restore strength, muscular control and function will be an important part of rehab.

Another procedure sometimes used to reduce pain in the ankle is a joint fusion where the surgeon will pin and fuse the bones of the ankle joint together. Again for both of these procedures physiotherapy will be important and our home visit physiotherapy service, which is based in Lichfield and serves surrounding areas such as Sutton Coldfield, Tamworth, Rugeley, Walsall and Cannock, can assist greatly with rehab and making the process as easy as possible.

Shoulder Arthroscopies:

Often surgery on the shoulder will be done arthroscopically (keyhole), in this case there are a variety of common procedures that surgeons do often involving the tendons of the rotator cuff, the glenoid labrum or the bursa. An extremely common procedure is a sub-acromial decompression - this is usually a day case operation (you should just be in hospital for the day) and involves the surgeon shaving off some of the bone of the scapula and removing the sub-acromial bursa. Rotator cuff repairs and labral repairs are also done arthroscopically and should also only involve a short stay in hospital. Regardless of the surgery, physiotherapy to strengthen the tendons and muscles and restore range of motion is an essential part of recovery. 

Our physiotherapy service is based in Lichfield and serves surrounding areas such as Sutton Coldfield, Tamworth, Rugeley, Walsall and Cannock. If you have had a shoulder arthroscopy and need physiotherapy to help recovery please get in tocuh.

Knee Arthroscopies:

Many surgical procedures for the knee will be done arthroscopically - common procedures involve meniscal repairs, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) repairs and debridements/clean ups of the knee joint. Most will be day operations (ie you don't stay overnight in hospital) but some such as the ACL repairs will involve a long period of rehabilitation and physiotherapy.

To maximise your recovery from these knee operations, physiotherapy to aid strength, restore range of motion and function will be a key component of the rehab process. Our physiotherapists can form a key component of your rehab by coming direct to you at home and making sure that your rehab program fits your lifestyle and your home environment. We are based in Lichfield and serve surrounding areas such as Sutton Coldfield, Tamworth, Rugeley, Walsall and Cannock.

Hopefully the above information has helped you understand the importance of physiotherapy after any orthopaedic procedure or operation and has highlighted how our home visit physiotherapy service can improve and ease the rehabilitation process by making recovery and rehab possible at home rather than having to visit a physiotherapy clinic. Clearly there are many more surgical procedures than simply those listed above for example spinal fusion and discectomies after which patients will also need physiotherapy but those listed above form the majority of orthopaedic operations and should hopefully be of some assistance.

Due to the complexity of the problems that orthopaedic patients face, the need to clearly determine any protocols from the surgeon and the lengthy assessment process; treatment sessions are 1 hour for all sessions including follow ups. It is our experience that this extended period of time allows for a much greater benefit and response to therapy and is especially beneficial for patients who are in significant pain and benefit from a slower and more progressive approach to rehab.

If you have had or are going to have an operation which isn't listed above and would like to know if physiotherapy can help then please get in touch: we are a home visit physiotherapy service based in Lichfield and serving anywhere within a 20 minute drive including areas such as Burntwood, Cannock, Tamworth, Sutton Coldfield, Walsall, Rugeley and Abbots Bromley. We can be contacted by phone: 0788 428 1623, email: enquiries@threespiresphysiotherapy.co.uk or by using the contact form. Updated 15/03/2024