Your surgery is behind you—now comes the phase that truly shapes your outcome: rehab. At BodyLab in Zurich Altstetten, we back you after your operation with medically prescribed physiotherapy, targeted strength building, and a game plan tailored to your procedure, your daily life, and your biggest goals.
Your rehab follows your healing, not the calendar.
Your surgeon has established the structural foundation; what your body achieves with it is decided in the weeks and months that follow. The framework is defined by your clinic's post-treatment plan, the blueprint set by your surgeon for your recovery journey.
Your Peak Recovery: Knee Post-Op Rehab
From Knee Replacement Back to Peak Performance
Rehab after Hip Surgery
back on your feet with confidence after hip replacement surgery
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
Following a cruciate ligament tear or a cruciate ligament reconstruction (the surgical replacement of your ruptured ligament), you will find everything you need for your specialized ACL rehab on our dedicated page.
Had surgery somewhere else, like your hand or elbow? We've got you covered through the exact same three phases. Give us a call or book your appointment directly, and let's tailor the perfect recovery plan for your specific needs.
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 and Unleash Your Movement
Control swelling and pain, protect the tissue, regain mobility, and reactivate dormant muscles early on. From the very beginning, we will practice exactly what your daily life demands: standing up, walking, climbing stairs, and getting dressed—perfectly tailored to the guidelines of your clinic and your body's signals. Movement itself is the most powerful tool against swelling; where necessary, manual lymphatic drainage provides support—a gentle technique designed to accelerate the removal of tissue fluid.
Phase 2, Build: First mobility, then power
We unlock your mobility through manual and active therapy during our sessions; your home program will keep that momentum going between appointments. That's the foundation for building true strength—because training a stiff joint leads nowhere. One of your great options to achieve this is Medical Training Therapy (MTT), a equipment-based strength program guided by expert physiotherapists.
Phase 3, Peak Performance: Conquer Your Daily Life, Then Master Your Sport
We build up what your daily life, career, and hobbies demand of you, scaled by measurable criteria, not by the number of weeks: strength, mobility, and how your body responds to load. Ultimately, you will be back to doing what you need and what you want. And if your goal is athletic performance, we will walk with 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.
Your surgery is scheduled? Then your comeback starts right now
Your first session: how we kickstart your journey
Bring what you've got: your doctor's prescription, and if available, your surgical report and post-treatment plan. We will review your documents, assess your baseline with measurable data, and translate your surgeon's protocol into a customized plan that fits seamlessly into your lifestyle. From hour one, you will know exactly where you stand, what you are capable of, what you should focus on, and how to conquer the next steps.
Interdisciplinary and seamlessly connected with your doctors
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.
Costs and Coverage
Physiotherapy is covered by your basic health insurance with a medical referral, or by your accident insurance/accident coverage in the event of an injury. Just bring your referral to your first appointment, and our front desk will take care of the rest. Osteopathy is covered under your supplementary insurance for alternative and complementary medicine. Of course, we are also here to support you with our full expertise as a self-paying client. You can find all of our detailed rates on our rates page.
What to Expect & FAQ
Your first session: how we kickstart your journey
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.