Promoting mobility as an integral part of physical rehabilitation after surgery

Columbia Asia Hospital, Patiala organized a walkathon to educate people that orthopaedic surgeries do not pose any obstacles to returning back to normalcy and continue with their physical movements as earlier. The event was led by Dr. Paramjit Singh Chahal, Joint Replacement Surgeon, Columbia Asia Hospitals, Patiala and extended an invitation to all patients who had undergone Knee Replacement Surgery at the hospital.

More than 40 patients across various age groups, who had previously undergone knee replacement or other types of joint replacement surgeries, participated in the walkathon wearing Columbia Asia T-shirts. The walkathon was aptly themed “Live Young: Movement is Life”, and was followed by a health talk on the same topic by Dr. Paramjit Singh Chahal, Joint Replacement Surgeon, Columbia Asia Hospitals, Patiala.The walkathon covered a distance of 2.5 km.Refreshments were given to all the participants after the walkathon was over.

“In our society, many people tend to believe that a person who undergoes the any kind of joint replacement surgery can’t lead his/her life independently afterwards. This is certainly a myth that we need to overcome today. Yes, it is true that getting back to everyday activities usually takes time and there are a lot of internal and external complications in the process. People may be experiencing difficulties with driving, commuting, stretching, exercising or even doing household chores soon after the surgery. On the other hand, in the initial few months, one may not be able to enjoy the freedom to move freely or need external support such as clutches or wheelchairs. While comprehensive physical rehabilitation after a knee or hip replacement surgery may involve a number of steps in general, mobility and flexibility always needs to be at the forefront of every recovery process,” said Dr. Paramjit Singh Chahal, Joint Replacement Surgeon, Columbia Asia Hospitals, Patiala.

Clinical evidence suggests that via physiotherapy,occupational therapy, and a series of diet and lifestyle modifications, post-surgery aspects such as wound care, weight loss, joint swelling, etc. can be dealt with easily. On the other hand, if you indulge in a daily regime of moderate walking and exercising for 20-30 minutes, it may improve your movement capabilities and reduce pain up to a considerable extent.

“When it comes to young patients who had a total joint replacement surgery, walking and mobility enhancement indeed provides different types of benefits over the long term. Not only does daily movement restores normal movement in joints, it also builds up strength in particular joint and surrounding muscles, and helps in easing pain and swelling. It can be good idea to begin with linear movements, that is, moving forward to backward and left to right, aiming for fullest range of motion of your joints. On the flipside, if you get used to sedentary lifestyles, it can be more debilitating and problematic to get back to your work and daily living activities,” opines Dr. Paramjit Singh Chahal.

Through this novel initiative today, Columbia Asia Hospitals, Patiala aimed to promote mobility as an integral part of physical rehabilitation after joint replacement surgeries, and hereafter break the long-standing misconception that people who have undergone such surgeries can’t live life their lives like before.

The department of orthopedics and joint replacement at Columbia Asia Hospital specializes in state-of-the-art knee, hip and shoulder replacement surgeries, arthroscopic surgical procedures, and reconstruction surgeries, and believes in delivering vital post-operative palliative care and rehabilitation to every patient.