Someone comes home from hospital with a repaired knee, a sheet of instructions they have read three times and a vague sense that they should be doing something. Their family starts looking for a physiotherapist, usually within forty-eight hours.
What the clinic needs at that point is not a description of symptoms. It is paperwork.
What to capture
The operation performed, the date, which side, the hospital or surgeon, whether a rehabilitation protocol was provided, any restrictions such as weight bearing limits or a brace, whether they have had physiotherapy already, whether the wound has healed and what they have been told about follow-up appointments.
The protocol governs everything
Post-surgical rehabilitation follows the surgeon's plan. A clinic that asks for the protocol at first contact demonstrates that it works properly with surgical teams, and it avoids the risk of a physiotherapist improvising something that conflicts with the surgeon's instructions.
Example conversations
These scripts use information a clinic might publish. Your answers should come from your own pages.
Family member: My father had a knee replacement last week and needs physio. Assistant: The clinic sees patients after joint replacement and follows the surgeon's protocol. Could you share the date of the operation, which knee, the hospital or surgeon, and whether he was given any written instructions or restrictions when he was discharged? The team can then arrange an appointment at the right stage.
Patient: Should I be doing exercises yet? Assistant: That depends on your operation and what your surgeon advised, so the physiotherapist will go through it with you at your first appointment. If you were given exercises at the hospital, bring the sheet with you. If anything feels wrong, such as increasing pain, swelling or redness, please contact your surgical team.
Patient: How soon can I be seen? Assistant: The page shows current availability, including early appointments. If your protocol specifies when rehabilitation should start, the team can prioritise accordingly.
Warning signs go to the surgical team
Increasing pain, swelling, redness, heat, discharge or fever after surgery need the surgical team or urgent care, not a physiotherapy appointment next week. A website should say so plainly.
Home visits early on
Patients after major surgery often cannot travel. Offering home visits for the early stages, captured properly, opens a service that many clinics never advertise, as described in home visit physio requests and what to capture.
Session frequency and the recovery plan
Post-surgical rehabilitation usually means regular appointments over weeks or months rather than a single visit. Explaining typical frequency, how plans are reviewed and what patients do between sessions helps families arrange transport and time off work, which is often what determines whether someone completes their rehabilitation.
Insurance and funding
Post-surgical rehabilitation is often covered by insurance or included in a private surgical package. Explaining what you need for a claim saves the patient a call at a moment when they have enough to deal with, as covered in physio insurance and self-pay questions.
Families make the arrangements
Adult children frequently arrange care for a parent recovering from surgery, in the way families organise other services after a life event, as described in house clearance enquiries from families after a loss.
Getting started
Publish what you need from a discharge letter, your availability and how you work with surgical protocols. SpideyChat for physiotherapy clinics answers from your published pages, as described in AI receptionist for physiotherapy clinics. Try SpideyChat on your own site, or read about capture on the features page.