Orthopedic foot and ankle surgery is prescribed for various foot and ankle problems that require surgical intervention. However, the road to walking is quite long. You must start exercising soon after surgery to improve strength, balance, and mobility. If you are wondering where to start, the Center for Spine and Orthopedics in Denver Metro can help you kickstart your journey to recovery. Our goal is to help you return to your normal activities, healthier and stronger. Here is a deep dive into our rehabilitation program following your orthopedic surgery foot and ankle procedure.
Phase 1: Early Rehabilitation (0-2 Weeks)
Phase 1 of our rehabilitation program aims to improve your range of motion and strengthen your core, arms, knees, and lower extremities. These exercises will also help decrease pain and swelling after orthopedic foot and ankle surgery.
A. Range of Motion Exercises
Once you get out of your brace or cast, it is important to start range of motion (ROM) exercises immediately. These targeted exercises involve moving your ankle passively (with the help of your physiotherapist) and actively (on your own) so that you feel the motion throughout the ankle. Some simple exercises to help with ankle range of motion include:
Ankle circle
Toe pointing and flexing
Expect to feel some pain since you are fresh out of surgery, but do let your physiotherapist know if the pain is intense or lasts too long.
B. Strengthening Exercises
Orthopedic surgery on the foot and ankle is usually followed by a period of rest, which can significantly weaken the muscles around your ankle. Our strengthening exercises will help you regain strength so you can be ready to put some weight on your ankles. Some of the exercises that will help you start strengthening your ankles include:
Isometric exercises
Toe curls with resistance band
Early rehabilitation is meant to initiate strengthening exercises and improve your range of motion. Once you have perfected these exercises, you are ready to move to phase 2.
III. Phase 2: Intermediate Rehabilitation (2-6 Weeks)
Most patients will notice that their balance and proprioception are slightly off after foot and ankle orthopedic surgery. About 2 weeks after your surgery, and if you already initiated ROM and strengthening exercises, you will be ready to start balance and proprioception exercises.
A. Balance and Proprioception Exercises
As part of our intermediate rehabilitation program, we will recommend these exercises to help improve balance and proprioception:
Single-leg standing
Bosu ball exercises
Before your balance improves enough, especially in unsteady situations, our team will work closely with you to reduce safety hazards that may derail your progress.
B. Weight-Bearing Exercises
As you gain more strength and balance, the next step is to begin weight-bearing exercises. Our rehabilitation program will introduce you to partial weight-bearing exercises, followed by full weight-bearing exercises as you recover and gain more strength.
Heel raises
Toe raises
If you experience intense pain that does not go away with rehabilitation, let your physiotherapist know immediately.
IV. Phase 3: Advanced Rehabilitation (6 Weeks and Beyond)
By Phase 3 of our rehabilitation program, you will be well on your way to full recovery following an orthopedic surgery foot and ankle procedure. But before you can return to full walking and running, stretching and functional exercises will help improve flexibility and general conditioning.
A. Stretching Exercises
Stretching improves flexibility, contributes to improved range of motion, and can help reduce muscle soreness. These two targeted stretching exercises are part of our advanced rehabilitation program and will target the specified muscles with great specificity:
Calf stretches
Plantar fascia stretches
Our team will work with you to ensure you are getting the right stretching exercises for your particular situation and to reduce the risk of re-injury.
B. Functional Exercises
By week 8 of the rehabilitation program, patients will have regained most of their ankle strength and range of motion. These functional exercises will further improve strength, stability, and functionality before you can finally resume normal activities:
Walking on uneven surfaces
Agility drills
Progressive functionality beyond week 6 will depend on your adherence to your post-op exercise plan and how well your ankle responds to physiotherapy.
EXPERIENCE A FASTER RECOVERY WITH OUR CUSTOMIZED POST-OP EXERCISE PLANS
If you are recovering from orthopedic foot and ankle surgery, our customized post-op exercise plans can help you reach your goals faster. At the Center for Spine and Orthopedics, we understand that every patient is unique, and so is their ankle. Depending on your specific condition, we will tailor your post-op exercise plan to suit your goals and needs so you can resume your normal activities safely and quickly.Contact usto learn more about our rehabilitation program.
