FAQ

Physiotherapy can definitely help with regaining any lost range of motion.  The physiotherapist will assess the patient and determine what the source of their restriction is and apply the most appropriate treatment to help that restriction.  The physiotherapist will also provide home exercises so that the patient can continue to maintain their range of motion and prevent any re-occurrences.

Surgery for neck pain is a rarely prescribed treatment option.  This is because these types of surgeries do not always correct the symptoms that the patient is experiencing.  Therefore, the trauma and the recovery time of the surgery is not always worth the outcome.  Physiotherapy treatment is a much better option for neck pain since it is non-invasive and can provide a lot of relief and in a lot of cases, abolish the symptom all together.

A poor choice of pillow may be one of the causes of neck pain.  Most people get about 6-8 hours of sleep a night and if the pillow does not provide proper support, it will put their neck in impropoer postures for extended periods of time.  This can either create neck pain or can make existing neck pain worse.  A physiotherapist can assess your neck and determine 

Physiotherapy is an effective treatment option for neck pain, whatever the reason of the pain.  A physiotherapist will be able to do a combination of various treatment options to help get rid of pain and improve the patient's quality of life.  Treatments may include manual therapy, like mobilizations and soft tissue work, electrical modalities to help with the pain, exercises to stretch and strengthen and education.  

Neck pain can be caused by a variety of different reasons, including trauma like a fall or motor vehicle accident, poor posture, repetitive activities, bony changes like osteoarthritis and stress.

Most patients can safely return to sport about 10-12 months post surgery. If the sport is very high impact and involves contact, the return to play timeframe will definitely be closer to 12 months. For high impact activity, it is recommended that a custom ACL brace is worn so that it helps protect the repair from increased stressors and reduces the risk of re-injury.

The success of the reconstruction will depend on many factors, including consistency and motivation with physiotherapy treatment and how active the patient is on a regular basis. The more high impact activty that that the patient does on a regular basis, the more stress the repaired ACL will endure. A custom-made ACL brace will be an important component of management and protecting the ACL repair during high impact activities. 

There may be several limitations after an ACL reconstruction surgery, including but not limited to: increased pain, increased swelling, reduced range of motion, reduced weight bearing ability, loss of strength of the lower limb, loss of stability, poor balance and reduced agility.

Yes! The surgery itself will repair the torn ACL structure. However, after the surgery, there will be a loss of range of motion, strength, balance and agility. Physiotherapy is absolutely necessary to ensure that all these limitations are improved to a level where the patient can return to their activities without fear of re-injury.