Common questions about physiotherapy after surgery and fractures

Yes, swelling and pain are common after ACL surgery, and the swelling can take a while to settle. To ease it, keep your leg raised when resting, hold a cold pack wrapped in a towel on the knee for fifteen to twenty minutes every two to three hours, stopping if you feel numb, avoid standing for long periods, and take the painkillers your doctor prescribed. Contact your surgeon the same day if the knee's swelling, pain or redness gets worse instead of better, or if you have a fever, discharge from the wound or a throbbing pain in the leg. Leg pain and swelling with shortness of breath or chest pain need an ambulance straight away (911 in Jordan, 122 in Iraq and Kurdistan).

Read more: ACL injury, Post-surgery rehab · Source: NHS — Recovering from ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) surgery · NHS — Complications of ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) surgery

Usually yes, if it is painless. Soft noises when the knee moves are usually nothing to worry about if there is no pain: painless clicking is considered normal in knees generally. But if it comes with pain or growing swelling, or the knee feels 'stuck' and will not straighten, or it gives way, contact your surgeon the same day, as it needs checking. Meanwhile, keep to your exercise programme as your team prescribed it and do not move on to harder exercises early; at Revibe we progress through the stages according to your surgeon's protocol.

Read more: ACL injury · Source: NHS — Knee pain · NHS — Complications of ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) surgery

Usually in hospital or within the first days. Guidelines say knee movement starts straight after the operation within your surgeon's instructions, and the team helps you start walking soon after surgery, using crutches until your physiotherapist says you can stop, while you put weight on the leg gradually as you can tolerate. The first exercises focus on getting the knee fully straight, bending it gradually and switching the front thigh muscle back on, and much of this is done at home, followed by regular sessions for a few months. Walking as your physiotherapist advises is useful and helps prevent blood clots. If the meniscus was repaired as well, the restrictions may differ, so follow your surgeon's protocol.

Read more: ACL injury, Post-surgery rehab · Source: NHS — Recovering from ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) surgery · Kotsifaki R et al. (2023). Aspetar clinical practice guideline on rehabilitation after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Br J Sports Med 57(9):500–514

Yes. Bending starts gradually from the first days within what your surgeon allows; the first goal is usually a fully straight knee, then more bending step by step. Guidelines say early movement improves the knee's range of motion, and that immobilisation does not reduce pain and can weaken the muscles. Do not rest with a pillow under your knee, and avoid twisting the knee and bending down as much as possible at first. Bending may be hard early on because of swelling and pain, but if straightening or bending does not improve despite the exercises, tell your physiotherapist and surgeon early. After a meniscus repair, your surgeon may limit bending for a while.

Read more: ACL injury · Source: Kotsifaki R et al. (2023). Aspetar clinical practice guideline on rehabilitation after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Br J Sports Med 57(9):500–514 · NHS — Recovering from ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) surgery

Regular physiotherapy usually lasts a few months, full recovery can take several months or longer, and getting back to sport can take up to about a year; it varies from person to person. More importantly, moving between stages and returning to sports with turning and jumping are not based on time alone but on criteria that your surgeon and physiotherapist check with you: a knee without swelling, full movement, strength and hop tests close to the other leg, and confidence in the knee. The number of sessions varies, because much of the exercise is done at home with a tailored, monitored programme; after the first assessment we explain the plan and the expected number of sessions.

Read more: ACL injury, Sports injuries · Source: NHS — Recovering from ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) surgery · Kotsifaki R et al. (2023). Aspetar clinical practice guideline on rehabilitation after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Br J Sports Med 57(9):500–514

Usually yes: many people return to their previous level with the right treatment and rehabilitation, but the timing depends on the type of operation. If the torn part of the meniscus was removed, you can usually walk on it early, and recovery takes about three to six weeks. If the meniscus was stitched (repaired), it needs longer to heal, rehabilitation takes about three to six months, and your surgeon may restrict weight-bearing or knee bending for a while. Rehabilitation starts with knee movement exercises, then strengthening, balance and the movements of your sport, and you return to play when you can do these without pain or swelling, with your surgeon's agreement.

Read more: Meniscus tear, Post-surgery rehab · Source: AAOS OrthoInfo — Meniscus Tears · Logerstedt DS et al. (2018). Knee Pain and Mobility Impairments: Meniscal and Articular Cartilage Lesions Revision 2018 — Clinical Practice Guidelines. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 48(2):A1–A50

Usually yes: a knee replacement eases pain and improves movement for most people who need one, and it is usually suggested when arthritis pain greatly affects your life and other treatments have not worked. Like any operation it has risks, including blood clots, wound infection and sometimes difficulty bending the knee or ongoing pain and stiffness, which your surgeon explains before you decide. Keeping up the exercises from the first days helps the knee's strength and movement in the long term. Call an ambulance straight away (911 in Jordan, 122 in Iraq and Kurdistan) if after the operation you have leg pain and swelling with shortness of breath or chest pain.

Read more: Knee osteoarthritis, Post-surgery rehab · Source: NHS — Why a knee replacement is done · NHS — Complications of a knee replacement

Very early: guidelines recommend starting rehabilitation on the day of surgery if possible, and within twenty-four hours at most, so you start walking with the team's help, following your surgeon's instructions, using crutches or a walking frame. Many people can try walking without an aid after about six weeks if they feel ready. Home exercises continue throughout recovery, which can take several months or longer. Walking is useful and is built up gradually, avoiding long periods of standing at first. Supervised sessions are usually offered to people who struggle with daily activities or are not progressing with their home programme.

Read more: Post-surgery rehab, Home physiotherapy · Source: NICE NG157 — Joint replacement (primary): hip, knee and shoulder (2020) · NHS — Recovering from a knee replacement

Ask your surgeon when it is safe to kneel: medical advice is not to kneel on your new knee until your doctor says you can, and prostration means resting your weight on the knee and bending it a lot. Until then, many people pray seated on a chair. Bending usually improves with time and exercise, but fully bending the knee may stay difficult for some people, and this varies from person to person. Bending and strengthening exercises in physiotherapy help the knee's movement, and once your surgeon allows it, a physiotherapist can practise getting down to the floor and back up safely with you.

Read more: Post-surgery rehab, Knee pain · Source: NHS — Recovering from a knee replacement · NHS — Complications of a knee replacement

Rehabilitation usually starts on the day of surgery or the next day: you walk with the team's help using crutches or a walking frame, and you learn a home exercise programme before leaving hospital. Then walk every day as far as is comfortable, building up gradually. Follow your surgeon's precautions, which for a while may include not bending the hip too far, not crossing your legs, and avoiding low chairs and bending down to reach your feet. Recovery usually takes several months. Call an ambulance straight away (911 in Jordan, 122 in Iraq and Kurdistan) if leg pain or swelling comes with shortness of breath or chest pain. At Revibe, home visits are available if getting to the clinic is hard in the first weeks.

Read more: Hip osteoarthritis, Home physiotherapy · Source: NICE NG157 — Joint replacement (primary): hip, knee and shoulder (2020) · NHS — Recovering from a hip replacement

Rehabilitation after a rotator cuff repair always follows your surgeon's protocol and usually goes in stages. In the first weeks the repair is protected in a sling, which may be worn for up to six weeks depending on the size of the tear and your surgeon's instructions, while you move the elbow, wrist and hand, then gentle shoulder movements helped by the other arm. After that you start using the arm for light tasks, and strengthening comes later. Progress is slow and varies with the size of the tear: improvement comes gradually over months, and the shoulder may take nine months to a year to feel almost normal. Do not rush lifting weights or overhead movements before you are allowed.

Read more: Rotator cuff tear, Shoulder pain · Source: Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust — Rotator cuff repair (patient leaflet, 2025)

Yes, walking is very useful: you usually start walking soon after the operation if your surgeon agrees, and short, frequent walks are better than a few long ones, building up the distance gradually. In the first weeks, avoid lifting and long periods of bending as your surgeon instructs, and build up your sitting time gradually. Regular physiotherapy usually starts a few weeks later; a review of low-quality evidence suggests that exercise starting four to six weeks after surgery speeds up improvement in pain and function without increasing repeat operations. Go to the emergency department straight away (911 in Jordan, 122 in Iraq and Kurdistan) if you get new numbness around the buttocks or genitals or a new problem controlling your bladder or bowels.

Read more: Disc herniation, Post-surgery rehab · Source: Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust — Information and exercises following microdiscectomy (patient leaflet, 2025) · Oosterhuis T et al. (2014). Rehabilitation after lumbar disc surgery. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 3:CD003007

Yes, some pain is normal after the operation: leg pain often eases quickly, while the back muscles may ache for a while. Numbness improves more slowly than pain and sometimes does not go completely. Most people return to their activities gradually, but in some the problem comes back and may need another procedure. Go to the emergency department straight away (911 in Jordan, 122 in Iraq and Kurdistan) if you get new numbness around the buttocks or genitals, trouble controlling your bladder or bowels, or new or worsening weakness in your legs. Contact your surgeon the same day if you get new pain in your legs or a fever, or the wound becomes red, hot or leaks.

Read more: Disc herniation, Sciatica · Source: Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust — Information and exercises following microdiscectomy (patient leaflet, 2025) · healthdirect Australia — Lumbar microdiscectomy

A physiotherapist usually helps you stand up and walk from the first day after the operation if your surgeon agrees; then you take short, frequent walks that you build up daily after going home, with simple deep tummy-muscle exercises the physiotherapist teaches you. Regular sessions start later, when your surgeon's protocol allows. In the first weeks, avoid heavy lifting and long periods of sitting, as your team advises. Numbness can take weeks or months to settle. New numbness or weakness in the legs, numbness around the buttocks or genitals, or problems controlling your bladder or bowels need the emergency department or your surgeon straight away (911 in Jordan, 122 in Iraq and Kurdistan).

Read more: Post-surgery rehab, Back pain · Source: West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust — Physiotherapy following your spinal fusion (patient leaflet, 2024) · Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust — Care of Your Back Following Lumbar Spine Surgery

Not exactly: the bone heals and usually returns close to its normal structure and strength, but it does not become 'stronger than before', as people often say. First, new bone tissue forms and bridges the two ends of the break; then it is gradually remodelled over months, and this can go on for years. Many fractures heal within six to twelve weeks, depending on the bone and the type of break, so healing is usually not complete after two weeks or a month, and it can be slower with older age, smoking and diabetes. The loading and movement your doctor allows help healing, and physiotherapy then restores muscle strength and joint movement around the fracture.

Read more: Post-surgery rehab · Source: Sheen JR, Mabrouk A, Garla VV (2023). Fracture Healing Overview. StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf · NHS — Broken leg

Yes, some pain and swelling are common after a fracture and in a new cast; once the cast is off, the limb is usually stiff and weak for a while. To ease swelling, raise the hand above the elbow, or the leg, whenever you can, and gently move your fingers or toes as your doctor allows. But go to the emergency department straight away (911 in Jordan, 122 in Iraq and Kurdistan) if the pain keeps getting worse, the cast feels too tight, you feel numbness or tingling, or your fingers or toes look pale, blue or very swollen. Contact the hospital the same day if you have a fever, a bad smell or discharge from under the cast, or calf pain and swelling.

Read more: Post-surgery rehab · Source: NHS — Broken arm or wrist · NHS — Broken leg

It depends on the type of fracture and how it was treated, and your doctor decides when movement can start and how much weight is allowed. Usually you move the fingers, toes and joints that are not in the cast from the start, then proper exercises begin once the cast or boot comes off. Stiffness and weakness are common afterwards and can last months, and you may limp at first after a leg fracture because of them; the limp usually improves as you gradually walk more and strengthen your muscles and balance. Not every fracture needs sessions, but physiotherapy helps when stiffness, weakness or a limp persist, and at Revibe we start by assessing your movement, strength and walking.

Read more: Post-surgery rehab, Home physiotherapy · Source: NHS — Broken leg · NHS — Broken arm or wrist