Manual therapy can give wonderful relief from post-surgical pain, whether recent or chronic. Surgery can result in scarring, myofascial restriction, and other tissue changes that slow recovery after surgery, or even cause pain months or years after the surgical wound has healed.
For recent surgeries, Residual Strain Therapy can help reduce pain and greatly speed recovery, particularly in bone surgeries such as joint replacements or spinal fusions. As an example, Dr. Winder performed pre- and post-surgical manual therapy, stretching and strengthening on 3 patients who had knee replacements in 2012. Two of those patients astounded their physical therapists by setting the record at their respective therapy clinics for fastest ever rehabilitation after a knee replacement. The third patient did not break any records, but she did “graduate” from knee rehab therapy early, which was remarkable due to complicating factors that would have suggested a slower rehab process.
Sometimes an otherwise successful surgery can result in unexpected pain that does not go away after the wound heals. Dr. Winder has successfully treated hundreds of cases of pain after surgery, even in some cases where the surgery took place years prior. As examples, patients with hip pain or radiating leg pain have gotten relief from Dr. Winder’s gentle treatment of scar tissue from hernia or c-section surgical scars. Also, some surgeries meant to solve a pain issue (such as low back pain) do not result in the expected pain relief. Manual therapy treatments can often help relieve joint or spinal pain where surgery has failed.
