Long Term Rehabilitation and Adaptation From Injury and Surgery – Physical and Emotional
What Is This About?
Surgeries or serious injuries can have many affects – we may have a time of reduced mobility and enforced rest, missing work and regular social or sporting activities which can affect mood; we may experience long term pain; we may be anxious about our recovery and getting back to health; we may experience a loss of confidence or anxiety about the future.
Additionally our Nervous System can be put under strain by medications, pain relief, and other aspects of our treatment, or by flash backs to accidents, trauma and injuries.
The first line treatment is, of course, the Consultants, Doctors and Nurses, and then down the line Physiotherapists to get us – literally – back on our feet.
However often people are discharged from medical care and still have restrictions and worries – here Yoga Therapy can play a role.
How Yoga Therapy Can Help
Yoga Therapy can help with rehabilitation in various ways, in particular:
- Helping to calm the Nervous System and post treatment stresses and anxieties
- Help us to come to terms with short term and long term restrictions and changes in our mobility
- Helping to strengthen the body and regain confidence in our physical bodies and movement as we heal
- Helping us to deal with unhelpful memories and flash backs from accidents and trauma
- Promoting our sense of self worth as we heal
- Developing coping strategies for longer term conditions
- Preparing for planned surgeries and dealing with pre surgical stress
How I Work With Rehabilitation
The starting point is assessment on both a BioPsychoSocial basis and a Yogic basis (using a Koshic model of health) of the surgeries or injuries you experienced and how these fit into your daily life, including treatment you have had or which is ongoing, medications, and longer term prognosis.
From there I will probably work with tailored range yoga postures, breathing exercises and relaxation practices to help with regaining strength and optimal movement in your physical body, along side healing the mind and emotions. This will include looking at your posture and movement patterns. You won’t be asked to enter any postures that cause pain or discomfort.
I may work with mindfulness practices to help foster self love – these practices, known as Metta practices, help to reduce the sense of blame and self criticism that can follow after injuries and surgeries.
I’ll suggest practices to work with at home to reinforce our class based work.
I’ll happily fit in alongside any specific guidelines from other health professionals, eg Consultant, GP, Physiotherapist. You can see me whilst still under medical care, but let your Doctor know.
If necessary I will make suggestions for onward referral to other professionals.
When I was told I needed a knee replacement following an accident I was both shocked and anxious – Yoga Therapy helped me both prepare for surgery and recover.
Learn a bit more about how I approach Yoga Therapy for Rehabilitation in this short video (3min42s)
