Therapy & Rehabilitation

The role of therapy and rehabilitation, whether your joint surgery is performed in the hospital or at a same-day surgery center, is to practice activities you do every day to help you get back home safely and back to your normal routine.

Before surgery you may attend a prehab session where you’ll work one-on-one with a physical therapist at an outpatient therapy facility to learn how to safely move around your home after surgery. They will also teach you the exercises that you’ll do after surgery.

In your rehabilitation sessions after surgery, you’ll practice walking, going up and down stairs, and performing activities of daily living. We encourage you to bring a friend or family member to your therapy sessions so they can learn how to best support you at home. The goal of rehabilitation in the hospital is to have you discharged safely to home as soon as possible.

Before you leave the hospital, your care team will help you plan which rehabilitation option (outpatient therapy, home health care, acute care rehab) is best suited for your situation. Some of the factors that your care team will consider include:

• The recommendation of your surgeon and therapy team
• Your insurance coverage
• How active and independent you were before the surgery
• Any complex medical conditions you already have
• The number of stairs in your home

Your care team will discuss all of these factors with you to help determine the best plan for you.