Post-Surgery Rehabilitation

About Post-Surgery Rehabilitation

Surgery fixes the structure. Rehabilitation rebuilds the function. Without a carefully staged post-operative program, even the most successful surgery can leave you with stiffness, weakness, and a joint you do not fully trust. We see this often — patients who had excellent procedures done at Makati Medical Center, St. Luke's BGC, or Asian Hospital, then tried to recover on their own and plateaued six weeks in.

Our post-surgery program covers total knee and hip replacements, ACL and meniscus reconstruction, rotator cuff repair, shoulder labral repairs, ankle ligament reconstruction, and lumbar spine surgery. Every plan is matched to your surgeon's protocol. We read your operative report, we respect your tissue timelines, and we keep your surgeon in the loop. If you do not have a surgeon yet, we can also refer you to orthopaedic specialists we trust.

Recovery is rarely linear, and it is almost never as fast as patients expect. What we can promise is a clear roadmap, honest feedback at every milestone, and a therapist who answers your messages between visits when you are unsure whether something is normal.

What to expect on your first visit

• Review of your operative report, imaging, and surgeon's post-op protocol.
• Gentle exam respecting your stage of healing — range of motion, wound status, swelling, and strength baseline.
• Phase-appropriate treatment on day one (manual drainage, gentle mobilisation, early activation).
• A written program with clearly labelled phases and the milestones required to progress to each next stage.
• Coordination directly with your surgeon or their clinic as needed.

Treatments we may use

• Phase 1 — ProtectSwelling management, pain control, gentle range, and scar mobilisation in the first 0–2 weeks.
• Phase 2 — MobiliseProgressive range of motion, early strengthening, and gait or arm-function retraining.
• Phase 3 — StrengthenTargeted loading of the operated tissue and the whole kinetic chain — the phase most DIY rehab skips.
• Phase 4 — ReturnSport, work, or lifestyle-specific re-integration with functional testing before discharge.
• Adjuncts as neededCold laser for tissue healing, electrical stimulation for quadriceps activation, and manual therapy for scar tissue.

Typical session pricing

Service	Price
Initial post-op assessment (75 min)	₱2,200
Follow-up session (45 min)	₱1,500
10-session rehab package	₱12,500
20-session rehab package (total joint)	₱23,500
Home visit (Makati & BGC area)	+₱800 travel

Pro tip: The first six weeks after knee or shoulder surgery set the ceiling for your final outcome. Miss the early window of mobility work and you will be fighting stiffness for the next year. Start physio within the first two weeks after your surgeon clears you.

For total knee replacement patients, expectations matter. Most of our patients walk comfortably without aids by week 4 to 6, return to mall walking and light travel by week 8 to 10, and resume full hobbies (golf, dancing, pilgrimages) by month three. If you are preparing for surgery, our knee and arthritis care page explains the pre-op conditioning we offer, which makes the post-op phase noticeably smoother.

For ACL reconstruction and other sports-related surgeries, return to sport is a nine-to-twelve-month process when done properly. We run objective return-to-play testing — not a vibe check — before clearing you for cutting and jumping. See our sports injury recovery service for the full picture. And for older patients whose surgery was partly about restoring independence, our senior mobility program is a natural progression once the formal rehab phase is complete.