Physical therapy has multiple benefits beyond just helping you get back on your feet. As you begin your round of physical therapy for post-operative foot and/or ankle surgery, you may discover these benefits all on your own. However, if you need a gentle push, here is a summary of other benefits experienced during physical therapy.
Less Pain
Who would not want less pain after surgery? While your physical therapist will start out light and watch for your ability to tolerate pain, the exercise will steadily increase to strengthen your feet and ankles. The more you exercise, the more endorphins are released into your blood stream, and endorphins are the body's own natural painkillers. Nice!
Less Depression
Physical therapy also lessens feelings of sadness, self-doubt, self-pity and general, all-around grouchiness. That is because you are moving and you have someone touching your bare skin. The movement is all about endorphins, while the touching activates your body's production of oxytocin, a happy chemical in your brain that allows you to feel connected to others and therefore less lonely, isolated and unpleasant.
Less Recovery Time
It is no secret that the more you move after surgery the faster your body heals. While you do have to be careful about what kinds of movement you do, it is still effective to keep moving. Moving allows the blood to circulate around your surgical sites, providing oxygen and removing dead cells and waste products from the healing wounds. It prevents infection and encourages new cell generation too, so do not skip a single physical therapy appointment!
Less of a Chance of a Successive Hospital Visits
When you heal faster and move more, there is less of a chance that you will end up back in the hospital for complications and infections. If you already have a compromised immune system or you are a senior citizen, it is even more important to avoid repeat visits to the hospital for the surgery you had on your feet. You need to get better and stay healthy so that you can live a longer and have a better quality of life than you had when your feet and ankles disallowed you from moving. Physical therapy is the first step in the right direction to achieving and receiving all of the above benefits. Once you begin moving regularly via walking, running, jogging, etc., you may discover some other benefits not listed here, which is even better. Contact a business, such as Gotham City Orthopedics, for more information.
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