How Physical Therapy Can Help You After Weight Loss Surgery
If you're planning to undergo weight loss surgery, you're probably wondering what will happen during the recovery phase. One thing your doctor may do is order physical therapy to help you get moving quicker and to avoid complications. You might begin therapy while you're still in the hospital and follow up with sessions in a clinic. This is how physical therapy can help after your surgery.
Offers Supervision And Motivation
You'll have some pain and discomfort after your surgery, and the last thing you'll probably want to do is get out of bed and move around. However, it can be dangerous to stay sedentary after surgery because it increases your risk of a blood clot. A therapist will push you to do as much as you can, even if it is just sitting up on the side of the bed at first.
Once you've recovered enough to go home, you may quickly lose interest in exercise, especially if you were sedentary before the surgery. Going for regular physical therapy sessions keeps you motivated and accountable for your exercises, because you'll want to show progress at each visit. In addition to prodding you to move and exercise as much as you can, a physical therapist makes sure you do it in a safe way so you don't injure yourself by doing too much too soon.
Provides Specialty Equipment
When you're overweight, there is a lot of stress on your joints. This makes it difficult to do cardio exercises like walking for long distances and running. A physical therapy clinic has all the specialty equipment needed to get you in shape even when you have limitations. You won't find this kind of equipment in a regular gym. For instance, you might have access to an anti-gravity treadmill. This is designed to support part of your weight so you can walk without stressing your knee joints.
You may also be given exercises to do in a therapeutic pool so you can improve your range of motion with no impact on your joints. This is beneficial since you may feel uncomfortable going to a public pool or gym pool until you lose some of your weight.
Instructs On Proper Technique
If you haven't worked out in a long time, you may have poor body mechanics. This increases your risk of injury when you lift weights or use exercise machines. A physical therapist will teach you the right way to do exercises so your muscles do all the work and there is minimal strain on your back and joints. Once you have the technique down pat, you can continue exercising on your own at home or at a gym. Working out with a therapist for a few sessions can also give you confidence in your ability, and it helps you understand how far to push yourself safely.
A physical therapist can be a big help in your recovery right after surgery and as you become more active, but eventually, you'll need to be responsible for exercising on your own. Once you start losing weight and increasing your activity level, you'll probably enjoy how much better you feel, which will help motivate you to stick with what you learned and change your exercise habits for life.
For more information, contact local professionals like DeSoto Memorial Hospital.
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