Swelling is an expected side-effect of surgery, but many do not realize that swelling can take weeks, or even months to go away entirely. Our physiotherapists at Motion Works Physiotherapy Stittsville can help with your recovery from surgery, including the swelling.
Why does swelling occur post-surgery?
Swelling occurs as part of the healing process. When the body detects an injury, it sends white blood cells and proteins to speed up the recovery process. It helps to repair damaged tissues, and reduce the risk of infection. However, by doing so this leads to an increase of fluids and inflammation around the injured area. This increase of fluids and inflammation is what we call swelling. Swelling is often uncomfortable, and can lead to symptoms such as pain, bruising, tenderness, and clear drainage from the incision, or surgery wound.
How long will the swelling last post-surgery?
There are a few factors that can determine how long swelling can last such as, how intensive the surgery was, where the surgery was located on the body, genetics, and your overall health at the time of surgery. These factors all play a role in how long the swelling will last. For example, the less invasive of a procedure, the less swelling there generally will be. That being said, swelling can last anywhere from a few weeks to upwards of a year. The majority of the swelling will go down within the first few days (to weeks if larger surgery) typically. However, clients are often surprised to hear that the entirety of the swelling will likely take months to fully heal.
How can physiotherapy help swelling post-surgery?
Physiotherapy can help swelling post-surgery by reducing inflammation, and increasing range of motion. Our physiotherapists at Motion Works Stittsville are trained in rehabilitative physiotherapy and can help you manage swelling post-surgery through a range of techniques, and tools including:
- Education and adjustments to your daily habits post-surgery.
- Once your physiotherapist understands why the swelling is occurring, they can offer you more insight into the reasons for the swelling. They can also give you specific advice for how to manage the swelling at home. This may include adjustments to your daily habits that may be contributing, or prolonging your swelling.
- Manual therapy focused on the swelling post-surgery.
- During your sessions your physiotherapist may do some manual therapy on the affected area to help with blood flow, and increase range of movement. Some physiotherapists have done specialized training to perform lymphatic drainage techniques to help speed up the recovery process. Or, your physiotherapist may advise you to try massage therapy in addition to physiotherapy to increase blood flow.
- Exercises designed for your specific case of swelling post-surgery.
- Your physiotherapist will make a custom exercise treatment plan for you after your initial assessment to target the area affected by swelling. These exercises will help with reducing inflammation, increasing range of motion, and overall decreasing any pain related to the injury.
- Tools and assistive devices that can help manage swelling.
- Your physiotherapist might use tools like ice packs, cryocuff use, or electrotherapy during your sessions to reduce swelling. They may also recommend assistive devices like braces, or compression socks to use in your day-to-day life to help reduce swelling.