Post-Surgery Rehabilitation at Home in Shivajinagar, Pune

Hospitals around central Pune see people from the whole region, and many of them go home to Shivajinagar or travel through it on the way. For the patient who has had a knee or hip replacement, a fracture repair or a spine operation, the weeks after discharge decide how confident the recovery feels. The surgeon sets the limits. Physiotherapy at home is how the patient learns to move within them.

The post-surgery rehabilitation guide covers the general stages. This page is about getting the first weeks right when the home is a flat in Shivajinagar.

Planning the return before the discharge date

The most useful call is the one made before the patient leaves the ward. If you tell us the operation, the date and the floor you will return to, the physiotherapist can ask about the things that affect the first day at home:

• Is there a lift, and does it keep working in a power cut? If not, how will the patient reach the flat?
• Is the bed high enough to get out of without bending the new joint too far?
• Is the toilet a western seat, or an Indian squat, which many surgeons restrict after hip or knee surgery?
• Who will be at home in the daytime to help?

Answers to these decide whether the family needs to hire a raised seat, move a bed downstairs or arrange another way in. It is far easier to sort out before arrival than on the day.

What the first visit covers

The physiotherapist reads the discharge papers and the surgeon's instructions on weight-bearing, movement limits and wound care. Then comes a check of pain, swelling, the wound, circulation in the legs and how the patient moves from bed to chair. The plan is set within what the surgeon allows.

Early work is simple and repeated: breathing and circulation exercises, gentle movement of the new joint, getting up and sitting down safely, short walks with a frame or crutches, and the toilet and bathroom routine. As the weeks pass, the work moves on to strength and balance, stairs, and tasks specific to the person. For a new knee, see also knee pain physiotherapy in Shivajinagar, which covers strengthening in more detail.

The first trip down the stairs

For many patients in flats above the ground floor, the biggest early task is the first outing. That is usually a follow-up appointment with the surgeon, which cannot be skipped. We rehearse it in the building: which foot leads on the way down, where the rail is, how to rest on a landing, where a person should stand. If the building has a lift, we practise the lift as well. The aim is a trip the patient can make without fear and a relative can supervise without strain.

Making the home safer for recovery

• Clear the walking route of rugs, cables and low furniture.
• Put frequently used items between waist and shoulder height.
• Use a firm chair with arms, and avoid soft sofas that are hard to leave.
• Keep a night-light between bed and toilet.
• Do the exercises at fixed times, and note any change in pain or swelling for the physiotherapist.

Signs that need the surgeon or a hospital

Fever, a wound that is red, hot, leaking or opening, a calf that is swollen and tender, sudden breathlessness or chest pain, and numbness or colour change in the operated limb need urgent medical attention. Contact the surgeon's team or go to an emergency department; the physiotherapy plan will wait for their advice.

Next steps

If the patient is also an older person who is unsteady, see elderly physiotherapy in Shivajinagar. The home visit service for the whole area is described on the home physiotherapy in Shivajinagar page, and a visit can be requested through the booking page.