Physiotherapy After Surgery: When to Start and What to Expect

There is no single rehabilitation timetable for all operations. Bring the operation date and type, discharge summary, exercise advice and any movement or weight-bearing restrictions. If an instruction is unclear, ask the surgical team to clarify it before substituting an online programme.

Before leaving hospital, ask who to contact about concerns, how to look after the wound, which daily tasks are appropriate and when follow-up is due. NHS after-surgery advice highlights these practical questions. A private physiotherapy appointment does not replace the hospital's review or medication instructions.

List the activities that currently require help: getting out of a chair, using the bathroom, stairs, dressing or preparing food. Explain your home layout, usual walking aid and who is available to assist. Ask which equipment or adaptations should be discussed with the relevant team rather than improvising a difficult transfer alone.

Take your actual exercise sheet to the assessment and ask for clarification of any movement you are unsure about. Keep a record of what you managed and which parts of the instructions were difficult to follow. That is more useful than comparing your progress with someone who had a different procedure.

Ask which restrictions still apply, what the next functional goal is and what needs to be checked before progressing. Return to work, driving, lifting and sport are separate questions; improvement in one task is not automatic clearance for the others. Follow the advice of your surgical team.

After hip or knee replacement, NICE supports advice on self-directed rehabilitation with access to help, and additional supervised rehabilitation where needed. This does not mean everyone needs the same appointment schedule. Other operations have different rehabilitation requirements and should not inherit a joint-replacement plan.

Use the urgent contact instructions from your discharge team. In the specific case of a recent knee replacement, NHS advice calls for urgent GP or NHS 111 assessment for leg cramping or throbbing, fever or shivering, wound discharge, or worsening redness, swelling or pain. Do not assume these are ordinary exercise soreness.

After a recent knee replacement, leg pain and swelling with chest pain or difficulty breathing require 999 or A&E immediately. For other operations, follow your procedure-specific warning signs and urgent advice. Do not wait for the next rehabilitation session when you think medical help is needed now.