INTEGRATED POST-OP CARE

Pain-Free Isn't Healed. Healed Isn't Strong.

Every post-op recovery at Rimrock Podiatry includes integrated physical therapy, with a PT who works alongside our surgeons every day. No referrals, no handoffs, no waiting.

(406) 256-0077

THE STANDARD APPROACH

Most practices end care when the bone heals.

The traditional model of foot and ankle surgery is simple: the surgeon operates, monitors healing through the post-operative global period, and then hands the patient off to an outside physical therapist. On paper, this looks like a complete plan. In practice, it introduces gaps that slow recovery and limit outcomes.

There is often a two to four week wait between surgery and the first outside PT appointment. When the patient finally arrives, the physical therapist rarely has detailed knowledge of what happened in the operating room: what tissues were released, what hardware was placed, what the surgeon wants protected and what can be loaded. Recovery becomes a game of telephone, with the patient acting as the messenger between two providers who never actually speak.

The result is fragmented care. Patients are told their surgery was a success because the bone healed. But pain-free isn't healed, and healed isn't strong. At Rimrock, our finish line is you running, hiking, lifting, and working the way you did before. It always has been.

THE RIMROCK DIFFERENCE

A physical therapist in our office. Every day. Every recovery.

Our PT isn't a referral at the end of your surgery. They are part of your surgical team from day one.

Side-by-Side Collaboration

Our physical therapist is in the office with the surgeons every day. Questions get answered in the hallway, not through a faxed form a week later. When your progression needs to be adjusted, the surgeon and PT talk about you on the same day.

No Referral Gaps

You don't wait weeks for your first PT appointment. Rehabilitation begins on the schedule that's right for your procedure, not whenever an outside clinic can fit you in. The gap between surgery and strength disappears.

Surgeon-Informed Care

Our PT knows exactly what was done in surgery: what was released, what was repaired, what was reconstructed. That means your protocol isn't a generic template. It's written for your specific procedure, your specific anatomy, and your specific goals.

Healed Isn't Strong

Pain-free isn't healed. Healed isn't strong. Our finish line is you running, hiking, lifting, and working the way you did before, not the day the cast comes off.

THE RECOVERY PROCESS

From surgery to strong

Three stages of coordinated care, designed so nothing falls between the cracks.

1

Post-op Care

Physical therapy is coordinated directly with your surgeon's recovery plan. Protected motion, edema control, scar management, and progressive loading all happen on the timeline that's right for what was done in the OR. Your PT doesn't guess at restrictions. They read them off the same chart your surgeon just wrote.

2

Progressive Strengthening

Healing tissue is only step one. Once you're cleared to load, rehabilitation shifts to rebuilding the strength, balance, and coordination that make a joint actually work. We focus on the muscles around the surgical site, the chain above and below, and the movement patterns that have to fire cleanly for you to walk, run, and lift without pain.

3

Return to Activity

Every patient leaves with specific, testable benchmarks for getting back to what they love. Running gait analysis. Single-leg balance thresholds. Return-to-sport tests. We don't discharge you when the incision heals. We discharge you when you can actually do the thing you came here to get back to.

WHY THIS MATTERS

The difference in outcomes

Two columns. Two very different experiences. Two very different finish lines.

Traditional Post-Op

At other practices

  • External PT referral after surgery
  • Two to four week gap between surgery and first PT visit
  • PT doesn't know the surgical specifics
  • Focus ends when the bone heals
  • Communication by fax, voicemail, or the patient as messenger
  • Patient often doesn't return to prior function

Rimrock Integrated PT

At our office

  • In-house PT from day one
  • No gap. Rehab begins on the right day for your procedure
  • Full surgical context shared with your therapist
  • Focus continues past healing to strength and return to activity
  • PT and surgeon talk in person, daily
  • Patients return to running, sports, and work

Prefer to work with your own PT?

We're happy to coordinate with your existing physical therapist. But many patients who come in with an outside PT end up continuing their care with ours because of the seamless communication with our surgical team. Either way, the goal is the same: you, stronger than you were before surgery.

Frequently Asked Questions

About In-House Physical Therapy

Why does Rimrock have an in-house physical therapist?
Pain-free is not healed, and healed is not strong. Most practices end care once the bone heals and hand the patient off to an outside physical therapist. At Rimrock, our physical therapist works alongside the surgeons every day, so every post-op patient moves seamlessly from surgery to rehabilitation to full return to activity. The goal isn't just a healed bone. It's a patient who is actually back to what they love doing.
How does in-house PT differ from outside physical therapy?
With outside physical therapy, there is typically a two to four week gap between surgery and the first PT appointment, and the PT rarely has detailed knowledge of what was done in the operating room. At Rimrock, our PT is in the office with the surgeons every day. There are no referral gaps, no waiting, and no communication breakdowns. The PT knows exactly what the surgeon did, what tissues were involved, and what progression is safe.
Is physical therapy included with surgery at Rimrock Podiatry?
Integrated post-op physical therapy is part of the standard recovery plan for every surgical patient at Rimrock Podiatry. Coverage and billing for PT sessions follow your insurance plan, but the coordination (surgeon handoff, same-building PT visits, and progressive return-to-activity planning) is built into how we practice.
When does physical therapy start after foot or ankle surgery?
That depends on the procedure. For some surgeries, early motion and guided strengthening begins in the first one to two weeks. For procedures that require a non-weight-bearing period, PT begins with upper-body conditioning, edema control, and protected motion, and progresses as the surgical timeline allows. Because our PT is coordinated with the surgeon from day one, your progression is as fast as your healing allows. Never faster, never slower.
Can I still use my own physical therapist if I prefer?
Yes. We're happy to coordinate with your existing physical therapist. That said, many patients who come in with an outside PT end up continuing their care with ours because of the seamless communication with our surgical team.

Questions? Call us at (406) 256-0077.