A quick message from Dr. Luke Gordon, Spokane Valley’s leading PT, about recovering from surgery:

This page is intended for anyone who has recently had surgery or is preparing for an upcoming surgical procedure and wants to ensure the best possible recovery.

For many people, they’ve been told by their surgeon to “just take it easy” and that they’ll heal naturally over time. While rest is important, this generic advice often leads to complications like stiffness, weakness, scar tissue buildup, and prolonged recovery times. Too many people end up with less mobility and function than they should have after their surgery.

If you’ve had surgery—whether it’s a knee replacement, hip replacement, rotator cuff repair, ACL reconstruction, spinal surgery, or any other orthopedic procedure—you probably already know that surgery is just the first step. The real work of getting back to your active lifestyle happens during rehabilitation.

What happens when you don’t get proper post-surgical rehab? For many, this is where they experience chronic stiffness, lingering pain, reduced range of motion, and weakness that never fully improves. Or maybe they get introduced to this dangerous idea: that their “new normal” means living with limitations forever!

Poor advice often comes from well-meaning friends and online forums too…if you do a quick search for “post-surgery exercises” or “recovery stretches,” you’ll discover countless resources, all claiming to help you bounce back quickly and easily.

There are a couple key problems with the generic advice you’ll often find: first, without truly understanding your specific surgical procedure, tissue healing timelines, and individual factors (such as your age, activity level, and overall health), the exercises you attempt might actually damage your surgical repair or slow down your healing. This is because different surgeries require different rehabilitation protocols and progressions.

For example, you might discover some aggressive strengthening exercises that work great for someone 6 months post-op. However, if you’re only 3 weeks out from surgery and your tissues are still healing, these exercises could cause re-injury, inflammation, or setback your recovery significantly. Not the outcome you want!

The other key problem with this advice is this: thinking that you can successfully navigate post-surgical recovery with exercises alone. While the proper progressive exercises and movements are an integral part of regaining your strength and function in the long-term, you also need expert guidance on tissue healing, scar tissue management, range of motion restoration, and proper movement patterns to avoid compensation injuries.

This is where many people will work with their surgeon’s generic protocol or try to figure things out on their own. And if they’re fortunate, they’ll experience decent recovery.

Unfortunately, most people will only regain 70-80% of their pre-surgery function (or less), and they’ll be stuck with permanent limitations they didn’t expect.

So what really works for optimal post-surgical recovery? Here’s the bottom line for getting back to 100%: you must work with a physical therapist who specializes in post-surgical rehabilitation, understands the specific demands of your procedure, and can create a personalized recovery plan that matches your healing timeline and gets you back to the activities you love.

At Gordon Physical Therapy, we’ve helped hundreds of people in Spokane Valley, WA recover from surgery and return to their active, pain-free lives. This includes helping athletes of all ages return to various sports (like basketball, volleyball and football), as well as the “weekend warriors” who love things like hiking, biking, skiing and pickleball! We work closely with local surgeons and follow evidence-based protocols while customizing your treatment to your unique needs and goals.

If you’re ready to start the process of truly optimizing your post-surgical recovery so you can get back to your active lifestyle, we’d love to talk with you! Simply call or text us at (509) 892-5442 to schedule a consultation. We’re also happy to answer any questions you have before getting started, so don’t be afraid to reach out to us. 

I hope this information helps you understand the importance of proper post-surgical rehabilitation and that it helps you make the best decision possible about achieving the strongest, fullest recovery!

Sincerely,

Luke Gordon, DPT
Doctor of Physical Therapy/Owner of Gordon Physical Therapy

Look Who Else Came for Physical Therapy at Gordon PT and Left Feeling More ACTIVE, HEALTHY, and HAPPY… In Just a Few Short Weeks!

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626 North Mullan Road #4, Spokane Valley, WA 99206

(509) 471-9757

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