Post-Surgery Rehabilitation at Home in Undri, Pune

The first week home after surgery tests a flat in ways nobody planned for. The ride from hospital ends with a lift, a long corridor and a door sill. The bed may be too low to rise from. The bathroom has a wet floor. The patient is tired, in pain and anxious about moving the operated part.

Our post-surgery rehabilitation page explains what recovery involves in general. This page covers how we plan it for a flat in Undri, from before discharge to the first short outing.

Before you leave the hospital

The right moment to arrange physiotherapy is before the patient comes home. If you can, ask the surgeon or the hospital physiotherapist for the following, in writing:

• how much weight the operated limb may take, and from when;
• movements to avoid, such as bending the hip beyond a set angle or twisting the spine;
• wound care and when stitches or staples are due to be removed;
• the date of the first follow-up visit and any exercises already begun in hospital.

With those in hand, the physiotherapist can plan the first home visit for the day after arrival, when the patient is most likely to be stiff, frightened and unsure how to get out of bed.

Setting up a flat in Undri for recovery

Several small changes make a large difference, and many cost nothing:

• A firm chair with arms and a raised seat, because a low sofa is hard to get up from after a hip or knee operation.
• A clear path from bed to bathroom, without loose rugs, cables or a trolley in the way.
• A raised toilet seat or commode, a non-slip mat and a stool in the shower, where the surgeon agrees.
• Essentials kept at waist height, so that nobody bends or reaches overhead.
• A walker or sticks set to the right height, which the physiotherapist adjusts at the first visit.

Lift-served buildings help, but plan for a day when the lift is out of service. Ask the society who to call, and decide with the family what to do in an emergency.

What the sessions include

The physiotherapist checks pain, swelling, range of movement, strength and how the patient transfers and walks. Early sessions focus on safe movement, breathing and circulation exercises, gentle range work and getting in and out of bed, a chair and the toilet. Later sessions build strength, balance and walking, and practise tasks the patient will need, such as the car, the lift and the kerb. After knee surgery, the work overlaps with knee pain physiotherapy in Undri, and for older patients the balance work follows elderly physiotherapy in Undri.

We do not promise a recovery timeline. Healing depends on the operation, the person's general health and how closely the plan is followed. The physiotherapist tells you plainly how progress compares with what the surgeon expects.

The first trip back to the hospital

Follow-up visits often mean an hour in traffic, a car transfer in and out and a long waiting area. We help the family rehearse the car transfer at home, pack a cushion and a stick and choose a time of day that is calmer. If the patient tires or swells afterwards, tell the physiotherapist.

Warning signs that need the surgeon or an emergency department

Contact the surgical team straight away for a wound that is red, hot, swollen or leaking, fever, a calf that is painful, swollen and warm, or pain that is rising instead of settling. Go to an emergency department for chest pain, sudden breathlessness, a fall onto the operated part with severe pain, or sudden weakness or numbness. Physiotherapy continues once a doctor has cleared it.

To arrange sessions, use the booking page, or read about home physiotherapy in Undri for the area's visit details.