Rehabilitation is the post-surgical program of re-establishing joint motion, muscle strength around the joint and finally joint function. It is very important to understand that rehabilitation is a long process. While the surgery is performed within hours, the rehabilitation needs many months, potentially up to a year. The difference between the length of the surgery and the time needed for rehabilitation is huge, and patients should have that clearly in mind.
When the patient undergoes cartilage surgery of the knee, ankle or shoulder, for example, by whatever method, they should be aware that they need a long recovery period.
It is therefore very important that the patient is committed to the whole process. However, it should also be borne in mind the timeframe of one year for recovery is an example of the amount of time required compared to the hours of the surgery. The actual timeframe required depends on a large number of factors.