Madeline’s Story: Finding the Trail Again

When Madeline underwent a total hip replacement at the age of 65, she had one goal in mind: to hike again. 

Madeline knew that, to achieve her goal, she would need to take her post-surgical physical therapy very seriously. She began physical therapy as soon as she was cleared by her surgeon, three days after her procedure. Her PT guided her through gentle mobility exercises and helped her move around the room with her walker. 

We also helped Madeline manage her initial pain levels with joint mobilizations, soft tissue manipulation, and other manual therapy techniques. In addition to helping with pain, these techniques can reduce the development of scar tissue, which can cause long-term pain issues.

It wasn’t long before Madeline began more intensive physical therapy. At her first appointment, she let her therapist know her dream of taking up hiking again, and they worked together to help Madeline achieve her goal.

Here’s what Madeline’s post-surgical therapy involved:

• Step 1: Improving her hip’s range of motion through targeted stretches and range-of-motion exercises
• Step 2: Building strength in the muscles surrounding and supporting her hip, helping stabilize her new joint.
• Step 3: Activity-focused training to help Madeline restore her balance and ability to walk, climb stairs, and perform other movements crucial in daily life. As Madeline improved, her therapist began focusing on exercises that emulated hiking (such as walking up an incline) so Madeline could hit the trails again.
• Step 4: A hike with her new hip. After completing her physical therapy, Madeline’s PT cleared her for a gentle, three-mile hike — and Madeline celebrated every step!

Frank’s Story: Starting Early for Lasting Relief

Frank didn’t have a clearly defined physical goal when he underwent his total knee replacement at age 78. He’d never been particularly active, and his knee pain only made him more sedentary. 

To help ensure Frank had the best possible outcomes, we actually started his physical therapy before he even went into surgery. Research shows that pre-surgical physical therapy (“prehab”) gives you a solid foundation for rehabilitation. So we set Frank up for success with a six-week prehab program that included the following:

• General fitness strategies to ensure he was in good health for his procedure
• Exercises to improve the strength and mobility of his knee joint
• Practice using a walker 

Frank had initially been nervous about his surgery, but his prehab program helped build his confidence and gave him a taste of what to expect from his post-surgical rehabilitation. In fact, he was pleased to learn that his early exercises were very similar to those he had done during prehab!

Frank’s rehabilitation proceeded similarly to Madeline’s, even though he wasn’t working toward a specific goal. We worked with him to manage his pain and slowly began mobilizing his knee. As his range of motion improved, we began incorporating strengthening exercises and functional training activities so he could perform day-to-day tasks.

Physical therapy was a lot of work for Frank, but it paid off in the end: he no longer struggled with joint pain, and he was far more active and mobile than he’d been in years.