When you have a surgery, sometimes physical therapy is recommended to help you improve your strength, and there are a lot of benefits to therapy. I did physical therapy after I had my original hip replacement because I didn’t know what types of exercises I should be doing to gain strength, but I opted out of it when I had my hip revision. I fully support physical and occupational therapy, and it is the reason I am able to walk and have the independence I do today. I don’t always do physical therapy after big surgeries because it can be hard to find a therapist who understands the challenges of my disability, and sometimes it feels like I am better off doing at-home therapy because no one knows my mobility needs better than I do. People sometimes think that physical therapy is always necessary after big surgeries, and I think that is true for some people but if you know what you need to do and are willing to commit to it sometimes it’s not necessary. Why don’t I do physical therapy after most surgeries? In this post, I am going to share why I always do physical therapy after big surgeries.
Physical therapists do not always understand my mobility needs- Spina Bifida is a relatively common disability, and you would think that it wouldn’t be that hard to find a therapist who understands the challenges of Spina Bifida. Physical therapists who understand the orthopedic challenges of Spina Bifida do exist but not all therapists are created equal and understand what muscles work and which ones don’t. Physical therapy was frustrating after my hip replacement surgery because the therapist I worked with did not understand the orthopedic challenges of Spina Bifida and was trying to get me to do exercises she would have someone without my disability do. Most people think physical therapy is hard because it should be, but that has never been my experience, and it’s always so easy. Therapists always try and get me to do exercises that only kind of activate certain muscles, which is a complete waste of time because exercises that I can barely feel doing anything is not doing much for me. If I knew a physical therapist who understood the orthopedic challenges of Spina Bifida, I might be open to doing it after major surgeries but since I don’t, I am better off doing my own routine.
Most times I know what to do– Physical therapy was necessary after I had the original hip replacement because I had no idea what I should be doing and needed to learn what types of exercises were safe for my new hip. If I had a second hip replacement, I probably wouldn’t do physical therapy unless my doctor insisted I needed it because I know what types of exercises I need to be doing and am willing to do them on my own. I personally don’t think I need to pay someone to tell me things I already know; that is only going to watch me do exercises I am probably already doing. Disabled people who need more assistance may benefit from physical therapy, but for me personally, it’s not always necessary because I know what to do and actually do the exercises not just say I do. You don’t need to go to physical therapy if you know what exercises to do and actually do them.
I can skip the useless exercises– I still do some of the exercises that my physical therapist taught me after hip replacement, but I don’t do all of them because most of them didn’t benefit me that much. I am grateful for the knowledge my physical therapist taught me after hip replacement surgery, but I’d rather exercise at home because I can skip the exercises that barely activate my muscles and do the ones that actually work. I was very rarely challenged in physical therapy and a majority of the strength I got wasn’t from things my therapist taught me, and it was from exercises I came up with myself.
Sometimes is not accessible– I liked the physical therapist I worked with after hip replacement and had no issues with them as an individual because they were great company. Physical therapy was stressful because the facility I went to was not accessible, and I felt like I was more limited and didn’t have enough space to do simple transfers. Inaccessibility is everywhere, and it is not something that I can control, but I do need an accessible environment to be able to push myself during exercise because I move slower when something is not accessible to prevent falls. Exercising at home is sometimes easier because I can create an accessible environment that I will never have in public places. Physical therapy should be very accessible, but it not always is which creates more barriers that make it difficult to improve strength.
Physical therapy benefits some disabled people, but I never like to do it because I know what exercises I need to be doing and would rather give those spots who need it more than I do. I am a full supporter of physical and occupational therapy, but it can be difficult to find someone who understands your disability because not all therapists work with a lot of disabled people. Rehabilitation after big surgeries is so important because a lot of the time, we get weak from lying in bed during our recovery and need strength exercises to be able to get back to doing the things we love. Physical therapy benefits a lot of people, and even though I don’t always do it, that doesn’t mean you should opt out of it because there is no shame in therapy. Some disabled people with more mobility challenges are able to do get physical therapy a couple of days a week but most times, insurances only approve three months of it, which is why it’s so important to exercise outside of therapy. Do you skip physical therapy after big surgeries? If you liked this post, please leave a comment below and share it with your friends.
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