Recovery after surgery
Post-operative rehabilitation
After surgery your body needs structured, targeted rehabilitation to prevent stiffness and muscle loss, reduce pain and swelling, restore movement and control, rebuild strength and balance, lower the risk of complications such as clots, infection and excess scar tissue, and get you back to work, sport or normal life sooner.
Joint replacement, arthroscopy, ligament reconstruction, spinal surgery or fracture fixation: our physiotherapists write a personalised, evidence-based plan for your procedure and your goals.
Surgeries we routinely manage
- ACL and PCL knee reconstructions
- Shoulder stabilisation and rotator cuff repairs
- Total knee and hip replacements
- Arthroscopic surgery such as meniscectomy and debridement
- Spinal surgery such as microdiscectomy and fusion
- Fracture repairs, with or without internal fixation
- Foot and ankle surgery such as Achilles repair and bunionectomy
- Soft tissue repairs such as hamstring or quadriceps tendon ruptures
- Labral repairs of the shoulder or hip
The Phyxit post-operative process
We follow a structured, phase-based approach, with the flexibility to match your surgeon's protocol and your own progress.
Early recovery: days 1 to 14
- Pain and swelling management: ice, compression, elevation, manual therapy
- Restoring passive and active range of motion
- Gentle mobility and isometric strength work
- Scar mobilisation and wound care education
- Safe movement, positioning, and using crutches, walkers or braces
- Preventing secondary complications such as clots and chest infections
Goal: reduce swelling and pain, protect the surgical site, begin gentle mobility.
Regain motion and muscle activation: weeks 2 to 6
- Closed-chain strength work such as bridges, sit-to-stand and mini squats
- Functional retraining: stairs, transfers, getting in and out of bed
- Re-establishing a normal walking pattern
- Activating core, glutes, quads and postural muscles
- Gentle joint mobilisation where indicated; hydrotherapy where appropriate
Goal: restore movement, control inflammation, switch the stabilising muscles back on.
Strengthening and proprioception: weeks 6 to 12
- Progressing resistance training and load tolerance
- Rebuilding joint stability and balance
- Proprioceptive training on balance pads and single-leg stance
- Correcting compensatory movement patterns
- Re-educating functional movement: squatting, lunging, reaching
Goal: strength, neuromuscular control and confidence in movement.
Advanced conditioning and return to function: months 3 to 6
- Sport- or work-specific training
- Agility drills, controlled plyometrics, return-to-run protocols
- Workplace conditioning and manual handling retraining
- Functional testing and outcome measures
- Cardiovascular fitness and endurance
Goal: ready for full activity or competitive sport.
What makes Phyxit different
- Over 20 years of complex rehab across orthopaedics, sports and neurological recovery
- We work directly with your surgeon so the protocol is followed and everyone is talking
- Hands-on care with real-time feedback: no set-and-forget machines
- A plan designed for your body, goals and timeline, not a cookie-cutter one
- An on-site rehab gym, treatment rooms and movement space
- A supportive team that wants you to succeed
Recovering from surgery at Wollongong Private, Shellharbour Hospital or another regional facility? We are ready to support you at every stage. Call (02) 4228 9299 to book your initial post-operative assessment, or book online and choose a time that suits you. If you are unsure about the next step, we are happy to speak to your surgeon.
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Ready to get moving again?
Book online, or call and our admin team will find you a time. New patients get 50% off their initial assessment.