After Abdominal Surgery
The Problem...
Abdominal surgeries, including hysterectomy, removal of ovarian cysts, or hernia repair, may disrupt the abdominal muscles. Hospital stays following surgery have shortened. After surgery, you may be afraid to move. Abdominal muscles disturbed during surgery may be weakened, and may continue to weaken as you lie in bed. Weak muscles make moving more difficult and lead to poor posture. Now, more than ever, you should take an active part in recovering from your abdominal surgery. Also, you can help yourself recover with exercises or other self-care activities after you go home.
A suggested program may include...
- deep breathing and coughing techniques to decrease the chance of infection in your lungs.
- leg exercises to maintain good blood circulation and prevent stiffness, while on bed rest,
- movement techniques to lessen the pulling on your stitches,
- exercises and self-help techniques to encourage bowel activity and reduce post-surgical pain from gas, and
- relaxation training
After Breast
Surgery
The Problem...
Breast surgeries, including mastectomy, lumpectomy, and reconstructive surgery (such as implants), can irritate or disturb the soft tissues in the shoulder, chest wall, and under the arm. Scars and radiation can make the tissues under the skin "stiffen" and cause a pulling sensation in your chest or shoulder when you try to move your arm.
After surgery, you may be afraid to move your arm because of the pulling sensation or pain. This lack of movement may cause stiffness in the shoulder and pain or swelling in the arm. You may then find it difficult to do daily activities like reaching the top shelf of a cabinet or washing your hair.
A suggested program may include...
- exercises to overcome tight-ness, weakness, and pain in the shoulder, neck, chest, and abdomen,
- exercises to improve posture and strengthen upper back muscles, which may include the use of elastic bands, light weights, and pulleys. and
- scar massage and stretching, and
- physical therapy manual techniques to improve mobility of the shoulder and ribs and to improve circulation
Osteoporosis
The Problem...
Normal bone is constantly being built and broken down. When not enough bone is built, or too much is broken down, osteoporosis results. The bones become brittle and break more easily. More than 25 million Americans have osteoporosis. About 250,000 hip fractures, 3 times more common in women than men, occur every year because of bone thinning. One third of all women over the age of 50 will have broken bones in the spine due to osteoporosis.
Several factors that you cannot control place you at increased risk for osteoporosis:
- Family history - blood relative with disease,
- Age - older adults have increased risk,
- Gender – women are at greater risk than men, and
- Race – Asians and Caucasians have increased risk.
A suggested program may include...
- designing a home exercise program to meet your needs including weight bearing and resistive exercises,
- instructing you on energy saving and safe ways to move, lift and perform other daily activities,
- educating you on risk factors for osteoporosis, and suggesting changes to reduce risk for fall, and
- helping you develop a program for life long fitness.
Pelvic Pain
The Problem...
Gynecologists often see patients with chronic pelvic pain. The pain may be associated with sitting through a movie or meeting, intercourse, or urination. It may include lower abdominal pain or numbness or tingling in the vaginal region. You may have pelvic pain caused or worsened by low back pain.
Pelvic pain may be closely connected to problems in the muscles, joints, or nerves. Scars from surgery or childbirth may contribute to this painful condition. If you have been in pain for several weeks, you may be unconsciously holding parts of your body in a tense and rigid position to protect yourself from more pain. These tense positions may cause weak and painful muscles, strained joints and compressed nerves.
A suggested program may include...
- designing a home exercise program to meet your needs,
- helping you to change poor habits such as holding muscles in a tense position,
- educating you in good work postures, rest positions, and relaxation techniques and
- helping you develop a program for lifelong fitness.
During Pregnancy
The Problem...
While pregnancy is a time of excitement and joy, more than half of all pregnant women suffer from back pain or some other orthopedic problem. Although back pain during pregnancy is common, it is not normal. Neither is the pain sometimes felt in the groin area, rib cage, mid-back or shoulder blades.
A combination of factors may cause back pain such as an increase in maternal hormones resulting in increased elasticity of the "soft tissues" of the body (ligaments, tendons, and cartilage) as well as changing posture secondary to the growth of the fetus (baby). Together, these changes can make the pregnant woman more susceptible to injury or lead to development of problems in the spine, pelvis, or rib cage.
Pregnancy related symptoms may include...
- aching in the low back or between the shoulder blades,
- intense pain in the groin or pubic area that interferes with sleep, climbing stairs, or walking, or
- a "catch", spasm, or pain in the ribs or mid back that may be worsened with use of the arms in front of the body.
Examples of Conditions Treated
- Muscoskeletal dysfunction, pregnancy and postpartum
- Exercises- pre-natal and postpartum
- Labor and delivery pain management
- Post caesarean section care
- Urinary incontinence
- Osteoporosis
- Fibromyalgia
- The female athlete
- Pelvic pain
- Lymphedema
- Menopause
If you think you may benefit from physical therapy...
Ask your physician to refer you to a physical therapist who is specialized in this treatment area. Insurance payment varies region to region, so check your individual policy for coverage.
