Has your surgery been delayed or cancelled due to COVID-19?

Written by: Andy McCrea and Gabrielle Jackson

The past 12 months has seen a huge stress on healthcare systems and in this most recent lockdown many non-essential and orthopaedic services are being delayed or cancelled. Specialist physiotherapists, consultants, doctors and other health care professionals have been redeployed to help ease the strain on the ever growing pressures of our national health service.

The current suspensions of these surgeries or interventions is not exclusive to the NHS, many  local private hospitals or organisations have also had to postpone treatments and consultations to redistribute their expertise into the national health service. This can be extremely frustrating and disheartening for those who already endured long waiting times. Although this is unfortunate, there are many alternatives and positive outcomes that can emerge in these current times.

Cancelled surgery does not explicitly mean that life on the sofa, binge watching Netflix and getting less mobile has to be the reality until we eventually get our lives back….

An alternative to surgery?

Physiotherapy can offer non-surgical, simple and effective treatments to assist with pain and maintain function. At Elite, our highly experienced physios can offer tailor made exercise interventions to suit a wide range of pre-operative cases for all abilities and ages.

This period of uncertainty can be utilised to engage in strengthening or mobility exercises to preserve the level of ability you have, or even improve it.

Prehabilitation is the process of getting fit and strong before an operation or procedure. Elite can help educate you on how to best implement and facilitate a programme around other commitments.

Evidence has shown that pre-surgical programmes can positively impact the outcomes of your surgery and enhance recovery. The stronger you are before surgery, the stronger you will be after. It can even lead to postponing surgery further if your level of capability and function improves or even discard the need for it altogether.

Engaging in exercise and strengthening to complement your surgery can have many benefits including:

  • Keeping you active enough to perform daily living tasks and maintaining independence.
  • Improving your mental wellbeing that may have been so greatly affected over the last 12 months.
  • Improving your mobility to have a positive effect on your pain or other symptoms associated with being less mobile.

So flip the negative repercussions of delayed surgery and create something positive. Use this extra time to invest in your health and come and chat to us at Elite about your options – we can help you get at least some part of your normal life back in lockdown!