Post-Surgical Rehab
Your surgeon repaired the structure. PhysioPro gets you back to using it.
Staged post-surgical rehabilitation from protection through to full return of strength, movement, and performance. Following your surgeon's protocol — with a higher endpoint in mind.
Surgeries
What we specialize in.
The most demanding return-to-sport rehabilitation. Staged loading through graft maturation, with strength criteria and functional testing before sport clearance.
Protection of the repaired tendon through early phases, progressive shoulder loading, and sport-specific or work-specific functional return.
Labral repairs require careful load progression within the post-operative constraints. Stability through strength — not external supports.
Meniscectomy and meniscal repair have different rehabilitation timelines. Assessment-led progression appropriate to the specific procedure performed.
Progressive return of quadriceps strength, knee flexion, and functional mobility. Milestones set against daily life and activity goals — not just clinical range.
Hip precaution management in early phases, followed by progressive hip strengthening and functional return. Gait restoration and confidence under load.
Post-decompression, discectomy, and spinal fusion rehabilitation. Conservative loading within surgical constraints, progressive core and movement rehabilitation.
One of the longest post-surgical timelines. Staged loading of the repaired tendon through to full return of push-off strength and sport capacity.
The stages
How post-surgical rehabilitation progresses.
Protection.
Respect the repair. Early sessions focus on pain and swelling management, controlled movement within surgical limits, and maintaining tissue health in surrounding structures. The repaired tissue is protected — adjacent areas are kept active.
Movement restoration.
Progressive return of range of motion. Reduction of compensatory patterns that develop during the protection phase. The tissue is introduced to controlled load as surgical restrictions are lifted.
Strength rebuilding.
Targeted, progressive loading of the repaired and supporting structures. Strength benchmarks define readiness for the next stage — not calendar dates. This phase builds the capacity the final stage will demand.
Return to function.
Sport-specific, work-specific, or activity-specific functional testing. Clearance is based on criteria met — not time elapsed. Patients leave this stage with documented evidence of readiness, not a best-guess estimate.
Before your first session
What to bring.
What was repaired, how, and any intraoperative findings. This tells us exactly what the tissue has been through.
Weight-bearing status, range-of-motion limits, timeline restrictions. If your surgeon gave you a protocol sheet — bring it. If not, we work from established post-surgical guidelines.
MRI, X-ray, or ultrasound if available. Helpful context for understanding the repair — not a requirement to begin.
Return to sport, return to training, return to work, or a specific functional target. The endpoint of your rehabilitation is defined by what you need to do — not by clinical convention.
We work within your surgeon's protocol. If your surgeon has specific restrictions — bring them. The rehabilitation program is designed around surgical constraints, not despite them. If there is a question about a particular loading parameter or timeline, we can communicate directly with your surgeon's team.
Before surgery
Pre-surgical conditioning.
If you have a surgery scheduled and physiotherapy has not yet started — it should. Pre-surgical conditioning significantly improves post-surgical outcomes: patients who enter an operation with greater muscle strength and better movement quality recover faster and with fewer complications.
Even two to four sessions before surgery makes a measurable difference in the first twelve weeks of recovery. Ask about prehab when you book.
Case example
What post-surgical recovery looks like.
A 31-year-old competitive football player presented following ACL reconstruction, graft type: patellar tendon. Surgery at day zero. Physiotherapy commenced day seven, within the surgeon's protocol.
A 24-session protocol over six months: protection phase through week six (full weight-bearing with crutches, quad activation, swelling management), movement restoration through week twelve (full ROM, single-leg bodyweight loading), strength rebuilding through week twenty (bilateral strength symmetry within 10%, single-leg jump mechanics), return-to-sport phase through month seven (sport-specific drills, reactive work, full training participation).
Limb symmetry index of 94% at discharge. Full return to competitive football at month seven. No re-rupture at twelve-month follow-up.
Case presented with patient consent. Identifying details modified.
Questions
Common post-surgical questions.
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When should I start physiotherapy after surgery?
The earlier the better in most cases. Early physiotherapy does not mean heavy loading — it means beginning controlled movement, preventing unnecessary stiffness, and establishing the baseline the program will progress from. Most surgeons prefer physiotherapy within the first one to two weeks post-operatively, depending on the procedure.
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Do you coordinate with my surgeon?
Yes. We work within your surgeon's protocol. Weight-bearing restrictions, range-of-motion limits, and timeline requirements are built into the program, not worked around. If a protocol question arises, we communicate with your surgeon's team.
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Can I come in before surgery to prepare?
Yes — and it is recommended. Pre-surgical conditioning (prehab) significantly improves post-surgical outcomes. Patients who start physiotherapy before the operation enter recovery with greater strength, better movement patterns, and a clearer sense of the rehabilitation ahead.
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What is different about performance rehabilitation after surgery?
Standard post-op physiotherapy typically aims for return to pain-free daily function. Performance rehabilitation sets a higher endpoint — return to sport, full training capacity, or a specific functional standard. The staging is the same; the destination is different. If your goal is to train again or compete again, that goal is built into the program from session one.
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How long does post-surgical rehabilitation take?
It depends on the surgery type, repair complexity, and your goal. ACL reconstruction typically requires six to nine months for full return-to-sport criteria. Rotator cuff repair varies by tear size. After the first session you will have a staged timeline with specific milestones — not a vague estimate.
More questions? See the full FAQ →
Start your rehabilitation
Begin on the right timeline.
Assessment + treatment from session one. $750 MXN. Zona Rio, Tijuana.