Sitting Supported Knee Bends
- While sitting at your bedside or in a chair with your thigh supported, place your foot behind the heel of your operated knee for support.
- Slowly bend your knee as far as you can. Hold your knee in this position for 5 to 10 seconds.
- Repeat several times until your leg feels fatigued or until you can completely bend your knee.
- This exercise should take 2 minutes.
Sitting supported knee bend
What Happens If You Dont Do Physical Therapy After Knee Surgery
Why you should commit to physical therapy after knee surgery
Its important to get moving and functioning as soon after the procedure otherwise, the following can occur: Decreased blood flow to the area can negatively affect healing at the surgical site. Muscles can weaken and atrophy if they go too long without use.
Knee: Joint Replacement Exercises
The exercises in the videos below have been provided to help with your knee pain as you recover from your surgery. If there is any doubt about your fitness to do these exercises then please discuss this with your GP or consultant.
You may find that these exercises may slightly increase your symptoms initially. However you should find that the exercises themselves will become easier to do and that you begin to move your knee more easily. These exercises can take up around 12 weeks for you to notice a great improvement.
If the exercises do cause some discomfort then taking prescribed medication from your GP or pharmacist may help you to continue to exercise.
If these exercises cause a large increase in your pain or after 12 weeks there are no noticeable changes in your day to day symptoms then please contact your consultant, GP or NHS Informfor more advice.
The guide below will help ensure you are working at the right level:
Pain during exercise
Aim to stay in the green or amber boxes. If you are in the red area then you can modify the exercises by trying reducing the amount of movement during an exercise, the number of repetition, reducing the weights, reducing your speed or increasing rest time between sets.
Pain After Exercise
Your pain or other symptoms should return to your pre exercise baseline within 30 minutes of exercising. You should not feel an increase in pain or stiffness that last longer than 60minutes the next morning after your exercises.
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Reasons Why Scar Tissue Management Is Important
Once scar tissue develops, its essential to work on promoting healthy tissue as soon as possible before possible problems arise. Remodeling the scar makes it so the injured tissue can tolerate the stress and forces the body encounters every day from regular activity. Tissue remodeling can help in three ways:
- Improve range of motion in surrounding joints and muscles
- Restore normal mobility and function
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Range Of Motion Basics After Knee Replacement Surgery
First, we need to start off by saying that everyone is different. Some people are naturally born with more flexion and extension in their knee joints, some people have complications or severe osteoarthritis degradation to overcome, some people may experience knee stiffness, and so forth. In fact, one of the best indicators of your knee range of motion after surgery is your ROM before surgery.
A completely straight, unflexed knee joint will measure 0° of flexion. A fully bent knee will max out at about a full range of motion of 135° degrees of flexion.
As a general rule, a knee flexion of about 125° will allow you to carry out most normal activities. For daily living, a minimum flexion of around 105°-110° is required. Heres the approximate range of motion flexion required for everyday activities:
- 65° to walk
- 70° pick an object off the ground
- 85° to climb up stairs
- 95° to stand from a sitting position
- 105° to tie shoelaces
- 115° to squat or sit cross-legged
- 125°+ covers most activities. However, squatting or sitting on your heel may always prove challenging.
In a study conducted with 108 total knee arthroplasty patients, the mean postoperative active flexion was 111°
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Exercise Limitations After A Knee Replacement
Can you walk too much after knee replacement surgery? Like any activity, moderation is key. While walking is generally a highly recommended post-surgery activity, your excitement to get moving should be balanced with a respect for your healing body.
What is an optimal amount of walking after knee replacement surgery? Most physical therapists recommend walking as much as you find comfortable. Start with small, manageable steps over short distances and use an assistive device whenever needed. Gradually work your way up until you can walk longer distances without discomfort. Doing too much exercise can lead to pain and swelling, hindering your recovery.
Some other tips on what to do and what not to do after knee replacement surgery include:
- Avoid running or jumping until your knee is fully healed.
- Perform exercises in water or go swimming.
- Avoid high-impact sports involving quickly changing directions.
- Try cycling once you can walk without assistance recumbent bikes are a great option.
- Avoid walking on rough, uneven surfaces right after surgery use a treadmill instead.
- Ease into strength training.
What Is The Best Exercise After Knee Surgery
Water-based activities are the best way to begin your rehabilitation following a serious knee injury. The buoyancy of the water supports your weight and take the pressure off your injured joints.
It will also burn calories while keeping your body at a cooler temperature which makes it quite comfortable especially after a long period without physical activity.
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Theres A New Joint In Town
Often a person having total knee replacement surgery has experienced pain that has limited activity and exercise before the surgery. That leads to weakened supporting muscles before the surgery is even done. The result is a new joint but a lengthy recovery time. Consistency in performing a guided exercise program is the answer to a successful and shortened recovery time.
Exercise And Knee Pain
If your knee pain is due to an injury, surgery, or arthritis, gentle stretching and strengthening exercises may help ease the pain while also improving your flexibility and range of motion.
Exercising a knee thats injured or arthritic may seem counterintuitive, but in fact, exercise is better for your knee than keeping it still. Not moving your knee can cause it to stiffen, and this may worsen the pain and make it harder to go about your daily activities.
Gentle stretching and strengthening exercises can strengthen the muscles that support your knee joint. Having stronger muscles can reduce the impact and stress on your knee, and help your knee joint move more easily.
Before you start an exercise program for knee pain, be sure to talk to your doctor or physical therapist to make sure the exercises are safe for you. Depending on your situation, they may recommend some modifications.
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Don’t Let Stiff Knee Pain Hold You Back
Having stiff knee pain can prevent you from regular movement. This can really alter your quality of life at times. Being able to get active and perform daily activities shouldn’t be burdened by knee pain. Perform these exercises a few times a day to strengthen the key knee muscles.
If you’re still experiencing knee pain, you may need to consult a doctor. Reach out to us to learn how our nonsurgical knee pain treatment can help you.
Possible Benefits Of Total Knee Replacement Surgery
Regardless of whether a traditional total knee replacement or a minimally-invasive partial knee replacement is performed the goals and possible benefits are the same: relief of pain and restoration of function.
The large majority of total knee replacement patients experience substantial or complete relief of pain once they have recovered from the procedure. The large majority walk without a limp and most dont require a cane, even if they used one before the surgery. It is quite likely that you know someone with a knee replacement who walks so well that you dont know he even had surgery!
Frequently the stiffness from arthritis is also relieved by the surgery. Very often the distance one can walk will improve as well because of diminished pain and stiffness. The enjoyment of reasonable recreational activities such as golf, dancing, traveling, and swimming almost always improves following total knee replacement.
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What Not To Do After Knee Replacement Surgery
As a Physical Therapist, I work with patients in all stages of their knee replacement. We do our best to instruct our patients on what to do, but there are a few things that you should not do after knee replacement surgery. Here are the top 7 things you should not do after a knee replacement surgery.
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Section 3 Functional Exercises
An important part of your rehabilitation is including exercises that will help tasks of your daily living after your Total Knee Replacement.
Exercise 1: Mini Squats
To do this exercise – Stand holding the back of the chair for support. Slowly bend both knees and bring your bottom back as if doing a half sit down. Then return to standing position.
Aim initially for 10 repetitions as comfort allows. Aim to do 3 sets per day
Exercise 2: Sit to Stand
To do this exercise – Start by sitting on a chair with arm support. Initially use your arms to help you stand up. On going to sit down step backwards so the back of your legs feel the chair behind them. Then slowly bend your knees and sit down. Aim for 10 repetitions.
Once you find this easier try this exercise without your hands. As time progresses try have equal weight through both legs during this exercise.
Once fitter and stronger try and aim for 3 sets of 10 repetitions daily.
Click to find a printable information booklet regarding knee placement exercises
Review date: July 2024
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Straight Leg Raises Standing
Support yourself, if necessary, and slowly lift your involved leg forward keeping your knee straight. Return to the starting position.
Repeat 10 times.
Advanced: Before starting, add weights to your ankle, starting with 1 pound of weight and building up to a maximum of 5 pounds of weight over 4 weeks.
Straight leg raises, standing
Before Knee Replacement Surgery
Range of motion before knee replacement surgery can affect whether a person will experience stiffness after knee replacement surgery. Generally, people who had poor range of motion before knee replacement surgery will have less range of motion after knee replacement compared to those who had better range of motion. This stresses the importance of range of motion exercises BEFORE knee replacement to improve your outcome AFTER knee replacement. You can measure your range of motion with our Curovate app . Other factors that may increase your risk for knee stiffness are past knee surgeries, diabetes mellitus, smoking, and obesity.
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Is It Ok To Elevate Legs While Sleeping
When youre sleeping, when youre lying on the couch for a night of TV or movie-viewing, and even if you can get horizontal for a little while during the day, arrange some pillows in a comfortable formation to get your legs elevated 6 to 12 inches above your heart. Leg elevation, youll notice, feels good immediately.
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Can You Overdo It After Knee Surgery
As with any surgery, it is possible to overdo it after knee replacement surgery. For this reason, closely adhering to your doctors aftercare instructions for knee replacement surgery is essential. If you follow their instructions, you should have no worries about overdoing it after knee replacement surgery.
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Exercises For Stiff Knee
These exercises can be useful for improving your stiff knee.
Straight Leg Lifts: This exercise helps strengthen the muscles which support the knee. To perform this exercise, lay flat on the ground on your back and lift one leg upward as straight as possible and as high as you can go. Hold this pose for about 10 seconds, slowly return the leg down, and repeat with the other leg. Repeat this move ten times each leg.
Half Squat: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and slowly begin to bend your knees to lower yourself down, as if you were to sit in a chair. Only bend as much as you can while being comfortable if you experience pain you have gone too far. Once down, return slowly back up. Repeat this half-squat motion as much as you can.
Hamstring Stretch: Sit on the floor, upright nice and tall. Straighten your legs out in front and relax your feet. Place your palms down by your side and hold essentially your body should be in the letter L position. You should feel a gentle pull on your hamstrings.
Exercises After Knee Injury
If you’ve been sidelined with a knee injury from trauma or overuse, you might be eager to get back to your training once you’ve healed. While that enthusiasm is great, it’s important to incorporate exercises that will strengthen your knee after an injury to avoid a relapse or further problems.
âRead more:â 9 Exercises That Can Hurt Your Knees
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Dos And Donts After Knee Surgery
After knee surgery, youll likely encounter challenges and pain on your path to recovery. While it may seem difficult, remember that what happens after your surgery is just as important as the surgery itself.
Here are some dos and donts to help you recover:
If you experience problems during recovery, call your doctor immediately for proper healing and to prevent further health issues.
Knee Replacement Recovery Time Guide
Here we will look at total knee replacement recovery time, including what happens at what stage post-op and how long it typically takes to get back to your usual activity.
If are having or have had only one side of your knee replaced, visit the partial knee replacement recovery time section instead to found out how it will be for you.
Knee replacement recovery time will vary from person to person, and may be affected by:
- Severity of arthritis
- Compliance with exercises pre and post-op
Lets have a look at a typical knee replacement recovery time process.
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Naively Trusting Your Recovery To Rehab Professionals
This is the toughest one for people to understand. The medical model is focused on you being treated by rehabilitation professionals on an intermittent basis.
This frequency is by necessity low because it is costly. At most you will be seen twice a day in a rehab facility, daily to start with in home care and then usually 2-3 times per week for further home care and then in outpatient therapy.
The problem is that you will have the most success and get well the quickest if you perform your knee replacement recovery exercises 4x a day. What you really need to get into your head is that you are responsible for your success and refuse to adopt the traditional knee replacement rehab timetable which will ultimately slow down your progress.
What To Expect After Total Knee Replacement
Total knee replacement is performed in the situation that the knee joint is severely damaged, with loss of mobility and intense pain being present. After the total knee replacement, you can expect for a period of recovery to take place. The most important thing is that you are patient, performing your exercises on a daily basis and enjoying every small improvement. Do not be in a hurry to achieve performance, as it will take some time before your range of motion is back to normal.
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What To Avoid With Knee Stiffness After Knee Replacement
Approaches you should avoid when coping with knee stiffness after surgery:
- Aggressively massaging or manipulating the joint
- Bearing your full body weight on the joint before your surgeon says its OK
- Forcing the knee to bend beyond a comfortable range-of-motion
- Increasing your physical activity too quickly
- Taking over-the-counter pain relievers unless advised to do so by your surgeon
Lastly, you may be able to avoid some postoperative knee stiffness by losing weight, if youre overweight. This also might extend the life of your new knee implant.
Best Exercises For Stiff Knee
As stiff knee mainly occurs due to limited movement of knee, performing therapeutic exercises that allow free movement of the knee joint is necessary. These not only help to improve range of motion but also help strengthen the muscles and tissues, increase flexibility, increase blood supply and reduce chances of injuries.
Exercises should be performed on both legs and body should be allowed to relax after exercising. It is advisable to seek medical opinion about capability to perform these exercises.
Exercises that promote knee strengthening, stretching and knee straightening are of great help. Some of the best exercises for stiff knee include:
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