After the replacement

There are a lot of new hips and knees in this county, and the recovery plan that comes with them assumes you can get yourself to appointments.

At the studio — 3589 E Gulf to Lake Hwy, Inverness, inside Deb's Touch of Paradise Massage — and in-home visits as needed. If you cannot travel to the studio, that is what this page is for — arrange it with me directly rather than booking online, and we will sort it out on the phone. Florida licence MA78217.

See available times

There are a few things worth checking first

Your surgeon sets the terms

Ask them specifically about soft-tissue work, when, and how close to the incision. Bring me the answer and I will work inside it — including staying well away from the joint entirely if that is what they want.

If they want a written note after each session, they get one.

The other leg is doing all the work

It is usually the unoperated side that people forget about. The good hip, the good knee, the low back and the arms that have been doing everything with a walker or a stick. That is often where the day-to-day discomfort actually is, and it is usually the first place a surgeon is comfortable with me working. Ask them, and tell me what they said.

The lighter technique, and positioning

Manual lymphatic drainage is one of the techniques I practise — very light and slow, nothing like deep work — and it is usually what the early weeks call for. If you have been diagnosed with lymphoedema, that is a specialist clinical scope and you want a certified lymphedema therapist rather than me. And you never need to get onto a table: bed, recliner or chair is fine, and side-lying with pillows is usually the most comfortable position anyway.

How it goes, for this

Before
What your surgeon cleared
Timing and how close to the incision is their call. Tell me what they said and I will not go beyond it.
At the house
The other leg first
The unoperated side, the low back and the arms that have been doing everything with a walker. That is usually where the day-to-day discomfort actually is.
After
The lighter technique
Manual lymphatic drainage — very light, very slow, nothing like deep work. It is usually what a session looks like in the first few weeks. Diagnosed lymphoedema is a specialist scope and not mine.

Not sure I can work on you? Pick the one that fits.

I can get on a massage table

Then that is what we will use. It is set up and ready in the room — and at home, for my regulars, it goes up and goes away within the hour. Nothing for you to arrange.

Only my own bed

That is fine and it is common. I work alongside the bed and adapt the positioning to you — pillows under the knees, side-lying if lying flat is not comfortable. A hospital bed is easier for me, not harder.

My recliner

Good. Neck, shoulders, arms, hands, feet and lower legs all work well in a recliner, and for a lot of people that is where the pain actually is.

I use a wheelchair

We can work in the chair, or transfer to a bed or table if you transfer easily and want to. Tell me which on the phone and I will bring what suits.

A kitchen chair is all I have

That is all I need. I bring a proper seated setup — you stay fully clothed, and it is the same work through the neck, shoulders and back.

I am asking on behalf of someone else

Call me rather than booking online. I will want to know what they can and cannot do, whether there is a hospital bed, and who will be there. If they have a guardian, a healthcare surrogate or a power of attorney, tell me who holds it. You are welcome to stay in the room.

Still not sure? PHONE and describe the room. It takes two minutes and costs nothing.

Questions

How long after the operation can I have a massage?

Ask your surgeon and tell me what they said — it is their call, not mine, and I will not guess at it for you. The two things worth asking them specifically are when soft-tissue work is appropriate and how close to the incision I may go. Most people are asking at the follow-up appointment rather than in the first fortnight.

Can you work on the leg that was operated on?

Depending on where you are in recovery and what your surgeon says. Even when I cannot, there is plenty of useful work in the other leg, the back and the shoulders.

Can you come to rehab or to my apartment in a community?

Usually yes, with their permission — some have their own requirements for outside practitioners. Call me before you arrange anything.

You might also want

Getting massage at home while you recoverThe recovery you were told to expect assumes you can get to appointments. For a lot of people that is exactly the part that does not work. This page is the general picture — there is a page of its own for new hips and knees.
If getting out of the house is the problemA lot of people stopped having massage not because they stopped needing it, but because getting dressed and into a car became the hardest part of the day.
Hands, hips and knees that have got stiffI cannot do anything about arthritis. I can do something about the muscles that have tightened up around it, and for a lot of people that is most of the day-to-day discomfort.