Post-Operative Rehabilitation in Surbiton
Surgery is only the beginning. The quality of your recovery depends on what happens next. Our physiotherapy-led rehabilitation programmes help you regain movement, rebuild strength, and return to the activities you love — safely, progressively, and completely.
Book a Consultation AlterG Post-Op RecoverySurgeries We Rehabilitate
Specialist post-operative physiotherapy for a wide range of procedures
Knee Surgery
ACL reconstruction, meniscus repair, total and partial knee replacement. Progressive rehabilitation restoring full range of motion, quad strength, and confidence on your knee.
Hip Replacement
Total hip arthroplasty rehabilitation focusing on gait correction, hip stability, strength, and safe return to walking, cycling and daily activities.
Shoulder Surgery
Rotator cuff repair, shoulder labrum surgery, and shoulder replacement. Restoring range of motion, rotator cuff strength, and functional arm use.
Spinal Surgery
Discectomy, spinal fusion, and decompression recovery. Carefully staged rehabilitation that respects surgical constraints while progressively rebuilding core stability and spinal mobility.
Return to Sport
For athletes recovering from surgery, we plan the full journey back to training and competition — including phase-by-phase return-to-sport criteria, load monitoring, and our AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill for running reintegration.
General Post-Op Recovery
Abdominal surgery, cardiac rehabilitation, and other procedures. If you've had any operation and need to rebuild movement and strength, our team will create a programme specific to your surgery and surgeon's guidelines.
The AlterG Advantage in Post-Op Rehab
One of our most powerful tools for post-operative recovery is the AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill — the same technology used by professional athletes and military rehabilitation programmes.
The AlterG reduces body weight by up to 80%, allowing you to begin walking and running exercises weeks earlier than would otherwise be safe. It removes the impact and loading that inflamed joints and healing tissues can't yet tolerate — while still providing the neuromuscular stimulus needed for recovery.
For knee and hip replacement patients, ACL reconstruction, and spinal surgery, this technology can significantly accelerate the timeline to full recovery.
Learn About AlterG →Phase 1 — Acute Recovery (Weeks 1–6)
Reduce swelling, restore range of motion, prevent muscle wasting. Gentle exercise, manual therapy, and patient education.
Phase 2 — Strength & Stability (Weeks 6–12)
Progressive loading, functional movement patterns, balance training. AlterG walking and light jogging where appropriate.
Phase 3 — Functional Fitness (Months 3–6)
Return to daily activities, stairs, and light sport. Gait analysis if returning to running. Strength consolidation.
Phase 4 — Return to Sport / Full Activity
Sport-specific rehabilitation, load management, ongoing personal training to rebuild full fitness.
Insurance Covered
Post-operative physiotherapy is covered by most private health insurance policies. We accept Bupa, AXA Health, Aviva, Vitality, WPA, Cigna and Allianz with direct billing available — so you focus on recovery, not paperwork.
Check Your InsurerConnected to Medical Care
Our sister clinic Lambert Medical Practice provides private GP services, surgical referrals, and medical management. If your post-operative recovery requires medical input alongside physiotherapy, we can coordinate both — ensuring seamless, joined-up care.
Lambert Medical Practice →Post-Operative Rehabilitation by Surgery Type
Specialised protocols tailored to each procedure's requirements
Hip Replacement Rehabilitation
Weeks 1-4: Gentle range of motion exercises, quad and glute activation, protected weight-bearing with aids, pain and swelling management. Hip precautions are essential to prevent dislocation.
Weeks 4-8: Progression of strengthening, walking distances increase, begin stairs with rail, proprioceptive training for balance, start functional activities like dressing and bathing.
Weeks 8-12: Return to most daily activities, driving clearance when safe, light resistance training, balance and gait normalisation. Full recovery typically 3-6 months but most patients are functionally independent by 12 weeks.
Knee Replacement Rehabilitation
Weeks 1-6: Focus on restoring straight-leg extension and reducing swelling. Quad strengthening is essential. Walking with crutches progresses to walking stick then free walking. Swelling management crucial to regaining bend range.
Weeks 6-12: Increased weight-bearing, progressive range of motion exercises targeting flexion, stairs training, balance work, light resistance strengthening. Many patients use the AlterG treadmill at this stage for pain-free walking/light jogging.
Months 3-6: Return to activities, sports reintegration if appropriate. Strength consolidation, high-level functional training, and full fitness rebuilding.
ACL Reconstruction Rehabilitation
Phase 1 (Weeks 1-6): Protect the graft, control inflammation and swelling, restore straight leg extension, gentle quadriceps contraction, crutches progressing to free walking. Graft is vulnerable in early weeks.
Phase 2 (Weeks 6-12): Progressive strengthening of quadriceps, hamstring, and glute. Light resistance work. Early proprioceptive training. The AlterG treadmill is ideal for early walking and running at reduced bodyweight, allowing gait pattern training without full ACL loading.
Phase 3 (Months 3-6): Sport-specific training, cutting and pivoting movements, agility work, return to sport criteria testing. Full return to sport typically 6-9 months but depends on individual healing and rehabilitation compliance.
Rotator Cuff Repair Rehabilitation
Weeks 1-6 (Sling Phase): Arm immobilised in sling, gentle passive range of motion, protection of repair, pain management. Strict restrictions on arm movement to allow tendon healing.
Weeks 6-12 (Active Range Phase): Sling gradually discontinued, active-assisted movement progressing to active movement, gentle strengthening, rotator cuff activation, scapular stabilisation exercises.
Weeks 12+ (Strengthening Phase): Progressive resistance training, functional movement patterns, return to throwing/overhead activities if appropriate. Full healing may take 6-12 months depending on repair size and quality.
Spinal Surgery Rehabilitation
Weeks 1-6: Core protection, careful movement within surgical restrictions, pain management, postural education, gentle mobility work respecting fusion or decompression site. Walking encouraged. Avoid heavy loading or flexion/extension depending on procedure type.
Weeks 6-12: Gradual core strengthening (transversus abdominis and multifidus activation), spinal stability exercises, proprioceptive training, return to functional activities like sitting and standing tolerance.
Months 3-6: Progressive strengthening, return to hobbies and work, fitness rebuilding. Spinal surgery requires the most careful progression — we monitor pain behaviour closely and adjust if needed.
The Role of the AlterG Treadmill in Post-Op Rehabilitation
The AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill is one of our most valuable tools for post-operative patients. It uses pressurised air technology to reduce your body weight, allowing walking and running movements at a fraction of normal load.
How it works: You step into a chamber that inflates around your lower body. The chamber gently lifts, reducing your effective body weight from 20% to 80% of normal. This allows you to walk or run with normal gait mechanics while carrying a fraction of the load your healing joint or tissues would normally bear.
The massive advantage for post-op patients: Following knee or hip replacement, you often cannot walk or run without pain because your joint cannot yet tolerate full weight. Conventional rehabilitation means months without any walking or running stimulus. The AlterG solves this — allowing you to walk and run gait at 20-30% bodyweight from just 4-6 weeks post-op, providing essential neuromuscular and cardiovascular stimulus while protecting healing tissues.
For ACL reconstruction patients, the AlterG allows early walking and light jogging progression without the rotational forces that could stress the new graft.
The result: faster functional recovery, maintained cardiovascular fitness, and earlier return to normal gait and running patterns.
Knee Replacement with AlterG Timeline
Weeks 2-4: Start walking on AlterG at 50% bodyweight 2-3x per week. Gentle, pain-free gait pattern training. Complements hands-on range of motion work.
Weeks 4-8:
Progress AlterG weight to 40% bodyweight, increase duration and speed. Begin incorporating slight inclines. Combine with strength work. Many patients achieve free walking without aids by week 6.
Weeks 8-12:
Progress to light jogging at 30% bodyweight. Continue free walking at full weight. AlterG provides injury-free running stimulus while full-weight joints continue strengthening.
Months 3+:
Patient may transition to full-weight treadmill running or outdoor running. AlterG remains available for difficult rehab phases or if pain flares, allowing immediate return to pain-free running stimulus.
Our Surgeons and Hospital Partnerships
We work regularly with patients from the major NHS and private hospitals across Surrey and London. This includes Kingston Hospital, St George's Hospital (South London), the Royal Marsden, and private hospitals including Parkside, Epsom Hospitals, and Nuffield Health.
When you come to us following surgery, we liaise directly with your surgeon. We obtain your surgical notes, understand the procedure and any specific constraints or requirements, and maintain contact with your surgical team if your recovery deviates from expected or if you require additional input.
This coordinated care ensures your rehabilitation respects your surgeon's protocols while optimising your recovery through physiotherapy. You're not managing separate NHS and private teams — we're all communicating and working toward the same goal: your best possible recovery.
If your surgeon is local and sees other patients at our clinic, we can often arrange quick check-ins or urgent review if needed.
Hospitals We Work With
- Kingston Hospital — local NHS hospital, joint replacement and sports injuries
- St George's Hospital — major trauma and orthopaedic centre, South London
- Royal Marsden — specialist cancer centre (rehabilitation post cancer surgery)
- Parkside Hospital — private hospital with excellent orthopaedic team
- Epsom Hospitals — private surgical services
- Nuffield Health — multi-site private hospital network
Bring These to Your First Appointment
- Your discharge letter from hospital
- Any physiotherapy recommendations from your surgeon
- Details of when your surgery was performed
- Any precautions or movement restrictions mentioned
- Contact details for your surgical team (we may need to get in touch)
Start Your Recovery
Contact us before or shortly after your surgery to plan your rehabilitation. Early engagement with physiotherapy leads to significantly better outcomes.
Book Consultation 0208 133 5694Commission
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REGULATED
Why CQC Registration Sets Us Apart
Most physiotherapy clinics in England are not required to register with the Care Quality Commission. Lambert Sports Clinic has voluntarily registered — submitting to the same independent inspections, safety audits, and clinical governance standards as NHS providers, hospitals, and GP surgeries.
Our infection control procedures, safeguarding policies, staff competency checks, and patient safety standards are independently verified — not just self-certified. When you choose Lambert Sports Clinic, you receive an extra layer of accountability and clinical protection that the vast majority of private clinics simply cannot offer.