Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation maximizes recovery after orthopedic surgery

Orthopedic surgery may be your next step to relieve your pain and resume a more normal lifestyle.

To get the maximum benefit from your shoulder, hip, knee or back procedure, it’s important to follow through with the proper rehabilitation.

At Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute – River Falls, our physical therapists are experts at helping patients improve their strength, flexibility, range of motion and walking pattern after a major orthopedic procedure.

Our occupational therapists work closely with you to help you regain daily living skills, such as dressing, toileting and getting in and out of a car. Rehabilitation ensures that you safely progress through the recommended exercises and activities so you’ll function at the highest level possible after your procedure.

Patients in rehabilitation at Courage Kenny in River Falls typically meet with therapists twice a week, and programs last a few weeks to a few months, said Kent Kittleson, PT, manager of Rehabilitation Services.

Kittleson said it’s critical for orthopedic patients to follow their surgeon’s rehabilitation orders.

“Those who don’t follow their rehabilitation plan risk injuring themselves or setting back their recovery,” Kittleson said. “Rehabilitation experts are trained to see the whole picture—they understand how a patient’s medical history can affect how quickly he or she heals, and we know when it’s appropriate to or inappropriate to move on to the next step.”

“If you’ve already gone as far as major surgery,” he added, “you owe it to yourself to do everything you can to achieve the best result.”