Post-Surgery Rehabilitation
in Tulsa, OK
Total Physical Therapy has spent more than 40 years helping Tulsa athletes and post-surgical patients get back to the activities they care about. Whether you tore something on the field at a Union or Jenks youth league game, threw your back out training for the Route 66 Marathon, or you are a few weeks out from hip, back, or knee surgery, our therapists build a plan for post-surgery rehabilitation in Tulsa, OK around your body, not a generic protocol.
Why Tulsa Athletes & Surgery Patients Choose Total Physical Therapy
Tulsa is a city that stays active through humid summers and icy winters alike: weekend runners on the Riverside path along the Arkansas River, cyclists on the Turkey Mountain trails, softball leagues in Broken Arrow, and student athletes at Union, Jenks, Bixby, and Owasso high schools. That activity level means our clinic sees a steady mix of sports injuries and surgical recoveries, not just one or the other, which is exactly why our approach blends both.
We are led by Mark, whose 40 years of hands-on clinical experience means he has treated generations of Tulsa families, from a teenager’s first ACL tear to a grandparent’s second hip replacement. That kind of tenure is rare in outpatient physical therapy, and it shapes every evaluation we do: we are not guessing at what works, we have already seen thousands of Tulsa-area cases like yours.
Sports Injury Recovery Built Around Your Return to Activity
Getting a Tulsa athlete back on the field, court, or trail requires more than icing an injury and waiting. Our sports injury rehabilitation program focuses on the specific demands of your sport and the specific way your injury happened, so recovery translates directly back into performance
Strength & Mobility
Strength and mobility work restores the range of motion and muscular support your joints lost during injury, and it starts with a hands-on assessment of exactly where you are limited. We use manual therapy techniques like myofascial release, mobilization, and muscle energy techniques alongside targeted strengthening on our Cybex isokinetic equipment to rebuild both flexibility and power together, rather than treating them as separate problems.
Return-to-Activity Rehabilitation
Return-to-activity rehabilitation means clearing you for your sport, not just clearing you for daily life, and that distinction matters for the runners training on River Parks trails or the weekend softball players at LaFortune Park. We progress you through sport-specific drills on equipment such as our balance boards, BAPS board, and treadmill so the last phase of therapy looks like the movements you will actually be doing again.
Individualized Treatment
Individualized treatment starts with your referring physician’s diagnosis and your own goals, whether that is finishing a marathon or simply playing catch with your kids in your Midtown backyard again. Every plan is built and adjusted by a licensed therapist based on your ongoing evaluation results, not a printed template handed to every patient with a similar injury.
Functional Recovery
Functional recovery measures success by what you can actually do, such as squatting, twisting, or sprinting without pain, and we track that progress using objective testing on our Cybex equipment rather than relying on how a joint simply looks or feels on a given day. That objective data lets us tell you honestly when you are ready to return and when you need more time.
Post-Surgery Rehabilitation
Post-surgical rehabilitation is one of our specialty services, and Tulsa’s orthopedic surgeons and referring physicians send patients to us specifically for hip, back, and knee recovery because our therapists understand the precautions, timelines, and setbacks unique to each of these procedures.
Hip Surgery Recovery
Hip surgery recovery requires careful early-stage movement to protect the joint while preventing stiffness and muscle loss. We guide you through weight-bearing progressions and hip-specific strengthening along with our full range of manual therapy techniques as you advance through your recovery.
Back Surgery Recovery
Back surgery recovery in our clinic combines lumbar traction, soft tissue mobilization, and a progressive core-strengthening program designed around your surgeon’s specific restrictions. Many of our back surgery patients are referred through a chiropractor, dentist, or D.O. after procedures for disc or spine issues, and we coordinate directly with that referring provider as your program advances.
Knee Surgery Recovery
Knee surgery recovery moves through a predictable progression of swelling control, range of motion, and strength. We support each phase with tools such as electrical stimulation for pain relief and Cybex isokinetic testing to help track strength gains before you return to sport or daily activity.
Regaining Strength & Mobility
Regaining strength and mobility after any of these surgeries depends on consistent, hands-on therapy rather than a home exercise sheet alone, which is why our sessions are one-on-one with a licensed therapist or assistant rather than rotating you between machines unsupervised.
Personalized Rehabilitation Plans
Personalized rehabilitation plans are built from your initial evaluation and adjusted at every visit based on how your hip, back, or knee is actually responding, since no two Tulsa patients heal from surgery on the same schedule even with the same procedure.
What Sets Our Tulsa Clinic Apart
Our therapy rooms are equipped with treadmills, stationary bicycles, free weights, a stair stepper, UBE units, Cybex isokinetic testing equipment, and lumbar and cervical traction. We also use dry needling, the Graston Technique, and iontophoresis for patients dealing with stubborn soft tissue restrictions or localized inflammation.
Referral requirements vary by insurance plan. Some insurance plans allow patients to receive physical therapy without a physician referral, while other insurance plans may require one. Patients should check with their insurance provider to confirm whether a referral is needed before beginning treatment. We are also Medicare certified.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most Tulsa surgeons refer patients for physical therapy within one to two weeks after hip, back, or knee surgery, though the exact timing depends on your procedure and your surgeon’s protocol. Starting rehabilitation on schedule helps prevent stiffness, muscle loss, and scar tissue buildup while your body is still in its most responsive healing window.
Yes, we provide services by physician referral only, accepting referrals from an M.D., D.O., dentist, or chiropractor. If you do not yet have a referral, we recommend contacting your physician first so we can begin your evaluation and treatment without delay.
Sports injury rehab typically focuses on restoring strength and function after a strain, sprain, or overuse injury so you can return to competition, while post-surgical rehab follows a structured recovery timeline tied to a specific procedure, such as hip, back, or knee surgery. Our Tulsa clinic treats both, often using overlapping equipment and manual therapy techniques.
Knee rehabilitation after surgery generally runs from six to twelve weeks depending on the procedure, though ligament reconstructions and more complex knee surgeries can take longer to fully clear for sport. Your therapist will give you a more specific estimate once your initial evaluation and surgeon’s protocol are reviewed.
Yes, we are Medicare certified, which makes our hip, back, and knee post-surgical rehabilitation programs accessible to many of our older Tulsa patients recovering from joint replacements or spine procedures.
Related Care at Total Physical Therapy
Beyond sports injury and post-surgery rehabilitation, our Tulsa clinic also manages chronic pain conditions such as fibromyalgia and myofascial pain, neurological rehabilitation, and functional capacity testing for work-related cases. Ask your therapist how these services connect to your recovery plan if you are dealing with more than one issue at once.
Start Your Recovery in Tulsa
If you are recovering from a sports injury or from hip, back, or knee surgery, our physical therapy clinic is ready to build a plan around your body and your goals. Reach out today to schedule your evaluation with a Tulsa physical therapy team backed by 40 years of hands-on experience.
