Returning home after surgery (hip, knee, or shoulder replacement) marks the beginning of the most crucial phase: rehabilitation. Often, the idea of having to move around immediately—while dealing with pain, swelling, and reduced mobility—creates great fatigue. For those who live alone, the initial inability to drive makes it difficult to reach their physiotherapist, delaying the start of rehabilitation and slowing the recovery process.
This is where Home Physiotherapy becomes not just a convenience, but a real therapeutic strategy to accelerate and optimise your recovery. The period immediately following hospital discharge is the most crucial.
It is essential not to interrupt rehabilitation once back home. When restarting is delayed due to logistical difficulties or the excessive effort required for travelling, the progress achieved in hospital may slow down. If the operated limb is not stimulated adequately, but instead kept too still (due to pain, swelling, caution or fear), it can quickly stiffen, remain swollen, and gradually lose muscle strength. Choosing home physiotherapy ensures immediate continuity of treatment.
The clinical advantage lies in the possibility of rehabilitating the body in its functional environment—everyday life takes place among the furniture of your home, getting in and out of bed, using the bathroom, and negotiating steps.
With a home-based approach, the therapist can maximise results in a unique way:
Safety and Prevention: identifying and correcting environmental risks (such as slippery rugs or narrow passages) that could lead to falls.
Practical Functionality: performing exercises aimed at solving real-life problems, such as getting up from your favourite armchair or moving safely along the hallway.
Quick Adaptation: modifying the home environment to make daily movements safer and easier, speeding up the return to independence.
This practical and personalised approach ensures that every motor improvement is immediately applicable to your routine, making recovery quicker and more effective.
To make this even clearer, let’s consider a practical example: a patient who has just undergone total hip replacement surgery. The first days at home are usually marked by extreme caution, reduced general movement, and high tissue irritability (local pain and swelling).
At home, the physiotherapist can focus on the correct use of crutches (or a walker) on different surfaces (flat ground, slopes, stairs), on managing postural transitions (such as getting out of bed or sitting down), and on learning essential movements safely. Finally, they can set up a strengthening exercise programme using whatever equipment is available at home, stimulating the operated limb through a gradual and proper recovery process to regain full physical and functional ability.
All these elements are crucial for improving safety, reducing fear of falling, and ultimately shortening recovery time.
