The surgery fixed the structure. What you do over the next twelve weeks decides how well it works. Post surgical rehab is physiotherapy that follows your surgeon’s protocol and rebuilds movement, strength, and confidence in the right order, without pushing the repair before it is ready. We offer same day appointments at both of our clinics, physiotherapy in North York and physiotherapy in Richmond Hill, which matters when your surgeon has told you to start within a specific window. Below you will find when to begin, the surgeries we work with, how recovery progresses week by week, and what it costs.
The single most common mistake is waiting too long. Your surgeon sets the timeline, and it varies more than most patients expect.
Bring your discharge paperwork or the surgeon’s protocol to the first visit. If you do not have it, we work within standard restrictions for your procedure until it arrives, rather than guessing.
Recovery differs by tissue type, not just by joint. Bone, tendon, and ligament heal at different rates, and the plan follows that difference.
If you want detail on the joint itself rather than the surgery, see our pages on knee pain, shoulder pain, back pain, and ankle and foot pain.
Most surgical protocols move through three phases. The dates shift depending on the procedure, but the order does not change, and knowing which phase you are in explains why an exercise that felt pointless last month is now the hard part.
The repair is fragile and the priority is controlling swelling and preventing stiffness without loading the tissue. Work in this phase includes gentle range of motion within the surgeon's limits, swelling and edema management, muscle activation so the surrounding muscles do not shut down, and correct use of crutches or a walker. Progress here looks small and is not.
Once healing allows, the focus shifts to regaining full range of motion and normal movement patterns. This is where scar tissue and adhesions are addressed, where a limp gets corrected before it becomes a habit, and where weight bearing progresses toward normal. Patients often feel good at this stage and want to skip ahead, which is the most common cause of setbacks.
The final phase rebuilds strength, endurance, and confidence for the specific things you need to do again. That means stairs and carrying for one person, driving and a return to work for another, and cutting and landing for someone going back to sport. Return criteria are based on what you can demonstrate, not only on the calendar.
The first visit is about establishing where you are and what your restrictions are, before any treatment decisions get made. It runs about 45 minutes.
Rehab that ignores the surgical protocol is not rehab, it is guesswork with equipment. We treat within the restrictions you were given and we do not override them.
We are a private clinic, so treatment here is paid privately or through extended health insurance. Public coverage after surgery does exist in Ontario, and it applies to more patients than most people realise, so it is worth checking before you commit to paying.
Pricing is per session with no package requirement, and sits within the normal range for private physiotherapy across the GTA.
For a fuller breakdown, see our guide on how much physiotherapy costs in Ontario.
Ontario funds physiotherapy through the Community Physiotherapy Clinic Program, and anyone of any age who had an overnight hospital stay or a day surgery procedure in the past 12 months for a condition needing physiotherapy is an eligible group.
That care is delivered only at clinics enrolled in the program and we are not one of them, so we would rather tell you now than have you find out at the front desk.
Patients often still choose private care after surgery because appointment times are easier to secure in the narrow window their surgeon specified, and sessions are one to one. If cost is the deciding factor, check the public program first.
Both of our physiotherapists are registered with the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario and practise under Provisional Practice, which means they have met the College requirements to treat patients while completing the final stage of registration. You can look up either name on the College public register.
Same day appointments are usually available at both locations, which matters when your surgeon has given you a start date rather than a suggestion.
Our North York location serves patients from Downsview, Bathurst Manor, Willowdale, and the surrounding Wilson Avenue corridor.
951 Wilson Ave, Unit 15, North York
Our Richmond Hill location is on Yonge Street and is convenient for patients in Langstaff, Bayview Hill, and Oak Ridges.
9555 Yonge St, Unit 307, Richmond Hill
No. You can book private physiotherapy directly in Ontario. Bring your surgical protocol if you have one, since it shapes the first few weeks of the plan. Some extended health plans ask for a referral before they reimburse, so check your policy.
It depends on the procedure. Straightforward arthroscopic surgery often needs six to eight sessions. Joint replacements and tendon repairs usually run twelve or more across three to four months, because the tissue itself sets the pace.
Some discomfort during and after exercise is expected. Pain that increases over the following day, new swelling, or a sudden loss of motion is not, and those are reasons to slow down and speak to us or your surgical team.
That depends on which limb was operated on, whether you are still on prescription pain medication, and whether you can perform an emergency stop without hesitation. Your surgeon has the final say, and we assess the physical side of it with you.
Timelines are averages and plenty of people sit outside them for reasons that are not concerning. We reassess against your baseline measurements, adjust the plan, and flag it to your surgeon if the gap warrants medical review.
