Aesthetic surgery: aesthetic surgery of the head and neck may create swelling, scar, reduced sensitivity (numbness) and reduced ranges of motions such as more difficulty to open the mouth or turn the head. These discomforts affect patient’s wellbeing and quality of life, even if considered as “common” and not life-threatening. Our priority with maxillofacial physiotherapy is to provide faster patients’ reliefs and wellbeing to ensure best recovery of movements and function.
Physiotherapy before the surgery: Patients can be seen before the surgery to check ranges and function of the head and neck areas. If something can be improved, we can do it before the surgery. Also, any information collected before surgery could be used as a baseline which will be guiding us to optimize your range and function recovery after the surgery.
Maxillofacial Physiotherapy after the surgery:When to start will depends on surgeons’ agreement and could be started very early after surgery. According to the literature and depending on the procedure, early post-surgical physiotherapy management would enhance patient’s recovery by :
- Faster reduction of edema (using MLD, compression garment) contributing to faster healing, less complications related to swelling.
- Reduction of facial and cervical muscles contractures allowing faster muscle function recovery
- Muscle’s function and movement retraining: face, tongue, jaw, neck
- Scar tissue management by avoiding soft tissues complications (such as scar adhesion, ectropion...) which could affect joints and muscles functions of the head and neck area (TMJs, tongue, neck, eyes etc.). As the skin healing time is respected and physiotherapy is performed at the perfect time post-surgery, the skin can recover its optimal mobility. ×
- Nerve discomfort reduction: soft tissue mobility, swelling reduction contribute to help nerve function and recovery.
