If you’re scheduled for hip replacement, now is the ideal time to consider the benefits of Pilates before your surgery and Pilates-based physical therapy after your procedure.
Pilates goes the distance in restoring alignment, strengthening the core, correcting imbalances, and lengthening musculature. These are all necessary components for healthy joints.
As such, recovery specialists recommend Pilates and Pilates-based physical therapy for hip replacement surgery.
Practicing Pilates Before Hip Replacement
Strengthening the hip area, as well as the rest of the body, before surgery will benefit you in several ways.
First, some atrophy will occur after surgery and during the time you rest after your surgery. Going in with this added strength will put you in the plus column. Pilates will also re-educate you on how to move your body correctly by teaching you the proper ways to maintain hip and knee movements while continuing to strengthen these areas. In addition, the upper body strength you develop through Pilates will support you in the use of crutches or other walking aids post-op.
Plus, strengthening the core will improve your balance, which will serve you well during rehab. You’ll be less likely to fall and more confident about your recovery process. Furthermore, returning to exercise after your surgery will go more smoothly.
The Magic of Physical Therapy
As a part of your hip replacement surgery, your hip joint will be dislocated. As a result, the joint will be unstable and its surrounding muscles and ligaments weakened after being stretched and traumatized. Your surgeon will likely recommend physical therapy to help you regain movement in your hip.
Basic physical therapy will help you restore range of movement, correct your gait pattern, dissociate hip and lumbar spine movements, improve balance, and ultimately strengthen the hip joint. This is done through walking with a walker or crutches and using exercise machines like treadmills, stationary bikes, and elliptical trainers.
Utilizing Pilates-Based Physical Therapy for Hip Replacement
Working with a Pilates-based physical therapist provides another layer toward healing. Pilates-based physical therapy is done with an emphasis on core strength and two-way stretching. Physical therapists in these environments are also trained in Pilates and use Pilates equipment and machines to further facilitate your recovery.
During rehab from hip surgery, you’ll learn how to use the muscles of the core to support every movement of your body. Under a Pilates-based physical therapist’s watchful eye, you’ll perform these exercises with proper alignment to ensure that muscles lay down new fibers in a way that’s most beneficial to the joint.
Pilates teaches precise movements from the core but then incorporates upper and lower limb control as well. This provides strengthening and elongation for the whole body. Plus, by learning proper alignment, you can more effectively correct compensation strategies so that the body and hip move more efficiently.
With the Pilates system, individual units work together in an organized scheme or method. In other words, while working to strengthen the area around the hip joint and increase your range of motion, the rest of the body is targeted as an integrated system.
Then after the initial physical therapy sessions, patients can move effectively into Pilates with the guidance of their Pilates-based physical therapist.
Always Move Carefully
There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to recovering from hip replacement surgery. So when considering Pilates and Pilates-based physical therapy for hip replacement surgery, be sure to consult with your surgeon first.
Once you do get clearance to do Pilates before and use Pilates-based physical therapy after your surgery, don’t hesitate to contact us.
Our qualified Pilates-based physical therapist in Southeast Michigan will create a personalized program to address your specific needs and restrictions so you can progress through your “prehab” and rehab at a pace that feels comfortable and safe for you.