Surgery Vs. Physical Therapy: How Reload Can Help You Make an Informed Choice
Understanding the Implications of Surgery for the Body and Your Options
You’ve developed an ache or pain. It’s inhibiting your range of motion. What’s your first thought? To visit a primary care doctor and get it checked? You’re not alone. Many people do just this. To be on the safe side – and because it’s part of their diagnosis and treatment protocol – the doctor will take an image of the area of pain. That image may show a tear.
Then you have surgery.
But imaging can be misleading. The tear found in the imaging isn’t always the root cause of the pain you’re experiencing.
With surgery, there are further complications as well. The surgery you thought would be a quick fix… most likely won’t be.
You’ll need to recover from the structures being fixed in surgery as well as the surgery itself (remember, surgery causes trauma). Your body needs to calm down and adjust. The inflammation needs to subside. During this time, your body may decondition or lose strength. After this process, you’ll need physical therapy or rehab to get back to where you were. It’s a long process.
In this article, with the help of Physical Therapist Dr. Mona Tsutsui, we explore the question of surgery vs physical therapy.
The Myth of Surgery as a ‘Quick Fix’
We see people who haven’t been able to return to their ‘pre-surgery lifestyle’ more often than we should. A lot more often.
“An example is a shoulder case – someone with a rotator cuff tear. Let’s say. They had pain before the surgery and got the surgery done,” says Mona. “Afterwards, they may have done some rehab and felt a little better. But when they go back to whatever physical activity they were doing previously – for example, playing tennis – the pain returns to the same shoulder on which they had the surgery.
“This begs the question whether or not “fixing” the structure with surgery should have been the focus to begin with.”
You might think that seeing a tear in the imaging means that fixing the structure should resolve the pain. But if you are still experiencing the same type of pain after surgery, then “fixing” the structure wasn’t probably the issue to begin with. In certain cases, surgery may be the option, but that decision must be made after all options have been discussed and implemented.
Surgery could be an expensive and time-consuming error and not always the best way to recover from injury. Good business for orthopedic surgeons and insurance companies, not so much for you.
What Kind of Injuries Are Best Treated with Physical Therapy Vs Surgery?
How do you know if your pain or injury might be best treated with physical therapy vs surgery?
“One definite factor is the absence of trauma,” explains Mona. “if you weren’t hit by a car or didn’t injure yourself from a fall, and the pain started out of nowhere or gradually, it’s usually one sign that lets us know that physical therapy can be a good first option.”
In such cases, this is a good sign that you don’t need to be referred immediately to a doctor for imaging. However, if a bone is broken, physical therapy can’t do much to begin with. We must let it heal.
“It’s crucial that we address any red flags first – conditions that require medical treatment before we proceed with physical therapy,” says Mona.
“If your pain developed gradually or after returning to an activity, we can assess and determine if physical therapy can help improve your function.”
Mona explains how this works in practice at Reload as follows:
“After we confirm the absence of red flags, we’ll assess function, mobility, strength, and apprehension to movement. Sometimes we see improvements within a session, which can be a good sign that there’s room for improvement. A plan can be made to continue to progress those improvements.
“On the other hand, if there’s not a lot of progress, such as with your strength, daily activities, and overall ability to participate in activities, we may need to pivot the plan or consider a different approach and guide you toward the appropriate health care.”
A few examples of common conditions that may not always require surgery include:
Shoulder injuries or shoulder pain
Lower back pain (which many people experience upon waking up with significant backaches)
Knee injury or knee pain
“In short,” says Mona, “We can assess your condition to determine if physical therapy and rehabilitation are suitable. It all depends on your activity needs as well. If we can improve your function or see significant improvements through physical therapy or personal training, it raises the question of whether surgery is truly necessary.”
What Are the Benefits of Trying Physical Therapy First?
People often come to us when they are considering surgery or seeking pre-surgery physical therapy. Perhaps you are trying to decide if surgery is necessary.
Whatever the case, we follow a systematic approach to assessment, as we:
Assess your baseline capabilities
Identify your strengths
Create a plan to train and strengthen
This process can lead to a reduction in the pain you are feeling. You may even return to your previous level of physical activity or daily functions. Surgery potentially may not be needed, despite any structural impairments that may exist.
Our role is to provide you with comprehensive guidance throughout this process. Yes, the sessions will be part of your program, but the guidance continues outside of sessions. We teach you how/when to do the exercises, monitor how your body responds to the program, and make micro-adjustments along the way.
We give you as many tools as possible to know how to train yourself so you can continue to work on yourself even after sessions. Sometimes we have clients go into training with our coaches so they can continue to train and reach new goals.
How Reload Can Help
You may be hesitant about surgery. It’s accompanied by an arduous recovery process, never mind the challenge of meeting the cost of being cut and an arduous recovery period. When you come to us, we aim to help you explore the alternatives and gain some clarity in the sea of information you will have received.
The primary objective for many clients is to avoid surgery if possible. We’ll clear up any confusion they may have. We provide clear explanations of conditions. We also present a comprehensive plan that outlines possible options, including surgery, physical therapy, and other non-surgical approaches.
“In many cases, the time that doctors have for patient consultations is limited. This results in unanswered questions and uncertainties for clients,” says Mona. “Our responsibility is to help patients navigate through the uncertainties and provide them with the information they need to make informed decisions.
“By addressing their concerns and clarifying the options available, we bring clarity to their situation and guide them toward the most suitable path forward.”
Are you confused about your options? Do you feel pressured to rush into surgery without all the information at your fingertips?
Book an appointment with us to start with a comprehensive 90-minute body evaluation!
