Physical Therapy is the use of exercises and physical activities to help condition muscles and restore strength and movement. Physical Therapy is concerned with identifying and maximizing movement potential, within the spheres of promotion, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation.
After surgery, patients often experience a loss of range of motion and function. Physical therapists help patients perform stretching and strengthening exercises to regain lost range of motion and function. Physical therapists will also perform scar massage to keep tissue mobile and supple during healing and to prevent the scar tissue from adhering to the tissue beneath it, called a scar contracture. If not prevented, scar contractures can severely limit the range of motion and function of the affected area.
Many physical therapists also create cardiovascular exercise programs for post-surgical patients.