Abdominal surgery is performed to remove cancerous tissue, to resolve visceral tissue perforations or to remove inflammatory bowel segments, benign growths or vascular aneurysms. Postoperative complications, including pulmonary complications, are common following abdominal surgery and physiotherapy aims to prevent and treat many of these complications. Much of the literature investigating physiotherapy interventions is over a decade old and advances in surgery, including minimally invasive surgery and fast track pathways, require physiotherapists to re-evaluate their practices. This narrative review aims to examine the evidence investigating the effectiveness of physiotherapy interventions and apply this to contemporary surgical practices. Recommendations for practice and research are outlined.
History
Publication title
New Zealand Journal of Physiotherapy
Volume
44
Pagination
33-49
ISSN
0303-7193
Department/School
School of Health Sciences
Publisher
Physiotherapy New Zealand
Place of publication
New Zealand
Rights statement
Copyright 2016. New Zealand Journal of Physiotherapy. All rights reserved. Permission is given to copy, store and redistribute the material in this publication for non-commercial purposes, in any medium or format as long as appropriate credit is given to the source of the material. No derivatives from the original articles are permissible.