Principles of surgical rehabilitation

Abstract

Rehabilitation is the branch of medicine that addresses the maximization of human performance. Because rehabilitation interventions differ widely among various clinical settings, the definition of performance might be as sophisticated as the speed of an elite athlete following a musculoskeletal injury or as basic as bed mobility in a patient with catastrophic brain or spinal cord injury. However, interventions in both settings focus on improving performance at some level. Performance activities required to move more effectively in the environment or to care for one's self are termed functional activities, or function. Maximization of function is the primary endpoint in nearly all rehabilitation in a surgical setting. Advances in surgical and medical care during the past decades have substantially decreased mortality from many types of illness and injury. These achievements magnify the importance of rehabilitation professionals in the initial mobilization of surgical patients in the hospital and management of residual functional deficits after discharge. © 2008 Springer New York.