Do You Need Physical Therapy After Foot Surgery? How it Can Help, Exercises, and More

You’ve been dealing with a foot injury or ailment that requires surgery. 

You understand that it’s going to take some time to recover after surgery, but you’re still not sure what to expect. 

Do you need physical therapy after foot surgery? What will the recovery time look like? Can you get back to doing the things you love quickly? 

You’ve got questions and we’ve got answers.

Physical therapy after foot surgery can help you get back to doing the things you want to be doing comfortably. 

Keep reading to learn how physical therapy after foot surgery is beneficial and what you can expect from your rehabilitation program with PRO~PT. 

• What Is Foot Surgery?
• Physical Therapy After Foot Surgery: How Can it Help?
• What Does Foot Surgery Physical Therapy Protocol Look Like?
• When Do You Start Physical Therapy After Foot Surgery?
• How Long Is Physical Therapy After Foot Surgery?
• Can Physical Therapy After Foot Surgery Prevent Re-Injury?
• The Licensed Physical Therapists at PRO~PT Are Here for Your Foot Surgery Physical Therapy Needs

Foot surgery is commonly done to correct health problems involving the feet.

There are several foot surgeries that your podiatrist may recommend depending on the symptoms you are experiencing. 

Although doctors and foot specialists may recommend conservative treatments before opting for foot surgery, it is often the best way to relieve foot pain and prevent any further damage to your feet from happening.

Sometimes, surgery could involve amputation. PRO~PT’s licensed and experienced physical therapists can help amputees on their road to walking again.

The foot is made up of an interconnected, intricate network of … 

• Bones
• Tendons
• Ligaments

… which all play a part in bearing the weight of your body. Because of this, damage to any parts of the foot can be easily disabling. 

If an injury or ailment affects one part of your foot, it, in turn, can impact other adjacent structures, leading to a “cascading effect” of additional health problems. 

So, while there are specific circumstances that may require surgery, such as … 

• Bunions
• Arthritis
• Achilles tendinitis
• Plantar Fasciitis
• Hammertoes
• Neuromas

… any time you feel pain, or are experiencing foot issues, it is especially important that you speak to a medical professional, like your doctor or physical therapist.

If you’ve experienced a foot injury or are dealing with pain and questioning whether you need foot surgery or not, it can be confusing.

For many patients, it’s hard to tell whether or not surgery or some other form of treatment may be necessary—this is why we always recommend getting accessed if you’re questioning symptoms. 

In some cases, conservative treatments, like … 

• Physical therapy
• Orthotic inserts in footwear 
• Splints
• Resting and elevating the foot

… are done prior to recommending surgery. When these treatments fail, your physician will go if surgery is deemed necessary. 

Other signs that you may need foot surgery include:

• Inability to participate in activities due to foot issues
• Chronic pain
• Deformities that continue to get worse
• Bruising that continues to get worse
• Increased swelling 

If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms, talk with your physician who will help you determine if surgery may be appropriate.

But what happens after foot surgery? How can you improve the healing process? Do you need physical therapy after foot surgery?

Physical therapy plays a very large role in the recovery process after foot surgery. Physical therapy after foot surgery can help you: 

• Heal faster
• Improve range of motion 
• Increase flexibility 
• Increased Mobility
• Minimize the development of scar tissue
• Help you manage pain levels after surgery without using prescription narcotics excessively

Depending on the reason for your surgery, physical therapy after the procedure may not just be helpful but crucial to helping you heal and get back to doing your everyday tasks. 

Below we talk about some of the top benefits of starting physical therapy after foot surgery. 

If you’re preparing for foot surgery and aren’t sure what the best rehabilitation plan is post-operation, the expert physical therapists at PRO~PT are here to help you discover the importance of physical therapy after foot surgery.

Without proper treatment, mobility may continue to be limited or get worse after surgery. When you start physical therapy after foot surgery, you can regain and improve your mobility. 

Your physical therapist will work with you through stretching and exercises to increase your mobility after foot surgery. Activities may involve using devices like:

• Canes
• Crutches
• Braces
• Other devices that will support you as you rebuild mobility and range of motion. 

Not only can physical therapy increase your mobility, but it can also prevent future surgeries from being necessary.

One of the most important aspects of healing after foot surgery is rebuilding strength. Most times, after a procedure, patients lose significant amounts of strength. 

Without proper rehabilitation, the strength in your foot may never be regained—this is why physical therapy is vital to recovery after foot surgery. 

By seeing a physical therapist after foot surgery, you can build muscle strength back to a functioning level, which will also help other symptoms caused by foot surgery subside. 

Your physical therapist will help you build a rehabilitation program made of specific exercises to get started on your road to recovery after foot surgery.

Depending on the ailment and surgery, your physical therapy protocol or plan will vary. 

Some plans will begin one to two days after surgery, while others may only start weeks after. Your physical therapist will meet with you post-operation to discuss things like: 

• Whether your home is properly set up for post-operative movement
• When rehabilitation will start
• Expectations and goals before surgery and following surgery
• Education on what changes you might need to make to reduce the risk of re-injury 

Once you are ready to start physical therapy, your physical therapist will go over exercises that will help get you back into your normal routine without pain or discomfort caused by injuries or surgery.

Every patient’s physical therapy goals after foot surgery will differ, but your physical therapist will typically develop an exercise plan that works for your unique needs. 

While in rehabilitation for foot surgery, it is vital that you practice physical therapy exercises with your physical therapist’s approval. 

You don’t want to attempt to create your own treatment plan without supervision from a PT and risk reinjuring your foot.

Let’s look at some of the most common physical therapy exercises you may learn while in rehab after foot surgery.

These simple exercises work the upward mobility of your big toe joint. To do toe lifts, you start with one foot flat on the ground. 

Next, try to lift your toes off the ground — once you’ve lifted them, set them back down onto the ground.

Sit in a chair with your affected foot flat on a towel or blanket on the floor. 

Scrunch the towel toward you with your toes and then use your toes to push the towel into the correct place. 

Repeat this exercise 8-12 times to help strengthen the muscles on the top of your foot and the muscles in your toes.

Sit on the edge of your bed with your ankle hanging just off the edge. Slowly move your foot up and back down. 

Do this exercise 50 times and then take a break. At the beginning of your rehabilitation, try doing one set of pumps every hour that you are not sleeping. 

Ankle pumps help initiate movement in your foot shortly after surgery. This exercise is a great way to push swelling away from the foot by contracting the calf muscle.

Tandem walking is done by standing in a hallway or very open room. While looking down, walk in a heel-to-toe pattern like you are walking on a tightrope. 

Try to keep your body straight without extending your arms to the side. As this exercise becomes easier, you can look in front of you instead of down at your feet. 

Do this exercise once a day for three to five minutes to help you regain balance as well as a normal gate after foot surgery.

Depending on the reason for the surgery, you can expect to start physical therapy after foot surgery anywhere from one to two days after surgery, to up to a week after surgery.

The amount of time patients spend in physical therapy after foot surgery varies from patient to patient. This is because physical therapy after foot surgery is done on individualized, case-by-case circumstances. 

Factors that affect the amount of time you spend in physical therapy after foot surgery will depend on: 

• The severity of the injury
• Deficits
• Goals 

Generally speaking, physical therapy after foot surgery lasts six to eight weeks.

Absolutely! Physical therapy after foot surgery is one of the best ways to prevent an injury from recurring. 

Physical therapy provides post-operative patients with the strength and mobility they need to get back to doing the things they love to do without fear of the same injury occurring. 

Physical therapists can teach you how to properly maintain strength and muscle function, range of motion, and more.

Are you in the process of scheduling foot surgery? Have you recently had foot surgery and are ready to start physical therapy? 

Our licensed physical therapists at PRO~PT are here to help you get back to doing the things you love to do after foot surgery. 

We’ve helped many patients recover from foot surgery and we’re dedicated to providing the most innovative care to each of our patients—our mission is to return you to your best quality of life following an injury or surgery. 

Contact us today to discuss all your post-operative rehabilitation needs.