The operation is done, and now begins the part that helps decide the outcome: rehab. At BodyLab in Zurich Altstetten, we support you after your surgery with physiotherapy prescribed by your doctor, targeted strength building and a plan that fits your procedure, your everyday life and your goals.
Your rehab follows your healing, not the calendar.
Your surgeon has laid the structural foundation; what your body achieves with it is decided in the weeks and months that follow. The framework is set by your clinic's post-treatment protocol, defined by your surgeon's specific guidelines for the recovery period.
Every procedure has its own rehabilitation path, and you will find dedicated pages below for the most common ones: which procedures they cover, how rehabilitation unfolds across three key phases, and our answers to the questions we receive most frequently.
Your Peak Recovery: Knee Post-Op Rehab
From a knee replacement back into your active life.
Rehab after Hip Surgery
back on your feet with confidence after hip replacement.
Rehab After Shoulder Surgery: Your Path Back to Peak Performance
Regain your mobility and strength after rotator cuff repair and other shoulder procedures.
Rehab After Foot and Ankle Surgery: Your Path Back to Peak Performance
from a fractured ankle to hallux valgus.
Rehab after slipped disc surgery: Get your strength back
Power and confidence for your back.
ACL Tear
after an acl tear (ACL), operated with reconstruction surgery or managed conservatively: all the way to your return to sport, backed by tests before your comeback instead of just relying on the calendar.
Did you have surgery somewhere else, such as on your hand or elbow? Even then, we support you through the same three phases. Haven't had surgery yet? You can find conservative approaches on our pages about herniated disc, knee osteoarthritis, and hip osteoarthritis.
Your Rehab in Three Powerful Phases
No matter how different the procedures may be, the logic behind recovery remains the same. Our core principle across all phases is clear: get active as early as possible, stay as protected as necessary. This means moving within a pain-free range as soon and as far as your post-operative protocol allows. And being active doesn't always mean moving the operated joint itself: after certain procedures, such as a tendon suture, the suture rests initially while the rest of your body is already hard at work. We work in three phases, tailored entirely to your personal progress:
Phase 1: Protect & Mobilize
Control swelling and pain, protect the tissue, regain mobility, and reactivate dormant muscles early on. At the same time, we practice from day one what your daily life immediately demands: standing up, walking, stairs, and getting dressed—perfectly tailored to the guidelines of your clinic and your body. Movement itself is the primary weapon against swelling; where necessary, manual lymphatic drainage supports tissue fluid drainage.
Phase 2: Strength and Function
We build mobility through manual and active therapy during your sessions, which is then reinforced by your home program between appointments. This forms the foundation for building strength—because training a stiff joint is counterproductive—for instance, in Medical Training Therapy (MTT), a equipment-based strengthening program guided by a physiotherapist, which is just one of several options.
Phase 3: Reclaiming Your Life and Peak Performance
We build exactly what your daily life, career, and passions demand—driven by measurable milestones, not just the calendar: strength, mobility, and your body's resilience under load. In the end, you'll reclaim exactly what you need and what you want. And if your ultimate goal is athletic performance, we will stand by you all the way to your Return to Sport.
And between all these phases lies the question we hear most often in rehab: Is this normal? The sudden return of pain, the pulling sensation at the scar, the swelling in the evening. This is exactly what your therapy is for: you have someone who knows your progress, puts it into perspective, and adjusts the intensity before uncertainty turns into overprotection, or impatience leads to a setback.
Build Your Strength Directly on the Job
To build your strength, you'll use our own state-of-the-art training area right inside the clinic: medically certified Schnell equipment for guided, safe workouts and premium Eleiko free weights for targeted power building. This allows you to transition seamlessly from the treatment table to the workout floor, guided every step of the way by your therapist.
Your surgery is scheduled? Then your comeback starts right now
Not every operation takes place immediately after the diagnosis. There are often several weeks between the decision and the surgery date, and that time is valuable: with targeted preparation, known as prehabilitation, you train exactly what you will need afterwards: activation of the muscles around the joint, core stability, coordination and strength. If you go into surgery better prepared, you start your recovery from a stronger position, which can have a positive effect on how it progresses. Ask your surgeon or family doctor about a prescription for prehabilitation, or contact us directly: together, we will make the most of the time before your operation.
Your first appointment: how we start
To ensure your rehabilitation seamlessly follows your discharge from the clinic, it is best to get in touch with us before you leave; this allows us to schedule your first appointment directly. Otherwise, you will almost always find a short-notice appointment with us, and if you don't see a suitable one online, just call us: 044 545 03 03.
Bring what you have: the medical referral, the surgical report if available, and the post-treatment plan. We will review your documents, assess your initial condition with measurable metrics, and translate your surgeon's protocol into a plan that perfectly fits your lifestyle. This way, from hour one, you'll know exactly where you stand and what steps lie ahead.
And because those first few weeks require a consistent rhythm, it is best to schedule your follow-up appointments directly as a series with us—usually two per week for the first four to six weeks. You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance, but finding a new slot quickly is not always as easy.
Interdisciplinary and seamlessly connected with your doctors
At BodyLab, physiotherapy and osteopathy work under one roof. For your rehab after surgery, this means easy access to a second professional opinion when useful, and direct communication with your surgeon or family doctor if your recovery calls for it.
Physiotherapy follows the medical prescription and your surgeon's post-operative rehabilitation protocol. Osteopathy examines and treats the areas that are also affected by the operation: the scar and surrounding tissue, the mobility of neighbouring joints and the parts of the body that had been compensating for years before surgery.
When to see your doctor
Post-operative complications are rare. However, seek immediate medical evaluation if you experience any of these signs:
Fever, combined with the operated area becoming hotter, redder, and more painful: a potential sign of infection.
One-sided swelling, tension, or tenderness in your calf or leg: a possible thrombosis, especially during periods of low activity.
A sudden, significant loss of strength or sensation compared to previous days: this requires a medical assessment before your next therapy session.
Pain that increases day by day despite resting: your surgeon needs to evaluate this.
Costs and Coverage
Physiotherapy is covered by basic insurance with a medical prescription, or by accident insurance/your health insurance's accident coverage after an accident. Simply bring your prescription to your first appointment, and our reception team will handle all the remaining details with you. You can book osteopathy directly without a prescription; most supplementary insurance policies for alternative and complementary medicine will contribute to the costs, and depending on your provider, this also applies after an accident.
The best approach is to clarify directly with your insurance provider beforehand how much they will cover.
Whether Physiotherapy or osteopathy: you are always welcome as a self-paying patient, and this will not change the high quality of your treatment.
You can find the details on the costs of your treatment under Rates and Cost Coverage.
What to Expect & FAQ
Your first appointment: how we start
Bring what you've got: your doctor's prescription, your surgical report if you have it, and the post-treatment plan. We will review your documents, record your baseline measurements with tangible metrics, and translate your surgeon's protocol into a roadmap that fits your lifestyle. From day one, you'll know exactly where you stand, what you are capable of, what you need to do, and how to reach the next level.
Your dedicated team of specialists