Knee Replacement rehabilitation

The 3 goals of Knee Replacement rehabilitation

There are three things that Knee Replacement rehabilitation needs to achieve.  The first is good movement of the knee replacement, the second is good strength particularly in your quadriceps muscle the third goal is about how the knee functions.  The most obvious and common function is walking but we will have a conversation about any particular goals you wish to achieve such as cycling, golf, kneeling etc.

First: Range of motion

Technically the knee doesn’t work as a hinge but it is a good way of thinking about it as the rotation the knee has isn’t very useful.  This means the knee pretty much bends and straightens.  Sounds simple but these 2 movements, ironically, are much harder to regain than hip movements after a hip replacement.  If you are struggling gaining this movement Pure Physio has lots of tricks to overcome stumbling blocks in the way of this.

People often focus on how much their knee bends after surgery and this is an important movement.  However, I always say gaining 15 degrees of bend is about as easy as 3 degrees of extension (knee straightening).  Standing on a bent knee needs more energy (making it tiring), makes the knee less stable (meaning falls can happen) and puts more strain on the other leg and back.  We can help you gain back this motion.

The earlier you gain back movement the easier it will be so make sure you talk to a doctor or pharmacist about adequate pain control and

if you need some motivation get in touch with us

Second: gaining back strength

Strength of the hamstrings and quadriceps is vital in returning to a good level of activity after your operation.  I would say in the early days a focus on range of motion is best because you will be able to gain back strength is you delay things a little but that isn’t always true of motion.

Strength exercises aren’t usually as painful as movement ones and with the right advice and attitude they can even be quite fun.

Last but not least: function/walking

If you gain back a reasonable amount of movement and strength almost all patients naturally start to walk well.  However, other things can impact this.  Ongoing pain, confidence, balance issues and bruising can all sow down a return to walking.  I have experience in dealing with all of these things.

If there is a particular goal you need to achieve after your knee replacement we can endeavor to take your knee Replacement rehabilitation to the next level safely and effectively

Get your knee Replacement rehabilitation back on track

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