After surgery
After your surgery it is important that you increase your activity levels slowly over time. The following highlights the important elements:
1 day to 3 weeks post-op
Immediately after surgery your body will be in recovery mode. Light mobilisation exercises are recommended for the first week. During this phase, the goal is to keep your joints lubricated and your muscles active to retain muscle mass. Daily walking and breathing exercises are also recommended. Focus on listening to your body and gradually progressing your activity level.
Remember to follow the suggestions of your health care team.
3 weeks to 6 months post-op
During this time, you will begin incorporating some strength training activities. Continue to focus on your breathing and listen to your body. Gradually increase your activity level over time. The goal is to reach and maintain a good basic physical condition.
By the end of this phase, you will hopefully feel like your exercise routine has become your best friend. You will want to spend some time with it every day and you will miss it if, for some reason, you are not able to exercise one day.
The rest of your life
This is reinforcement time – time to let your exercise routine take over. You will learn about the importance of varying your routine to keep it interesting and motivating with different activities like swimming, golfing, rowing or other activities you never knew you were going to love. You will also learn about the possibility of joining different exercise groups, so you can mix some social activity into your routine.