Partial or complete knee replacement surgeries (medical term: total knee arthroplasty TKA) are major procedures.
These are generally done as a last resort when all other conservative treatment options have been exhausted. It’s usual for treating knee osteoarthritis patients who have severely limited mobility and pain.
If you’ve had a TKA or have one scheduled, then it’s wise to learn about how to recover afterwards. In this article, we’ll share the top 9 tips that you should remember for physio after knee replacement for optimal recovery.
What’s Included in Physio After Knee Replacement Surgery?
Physiotherapy after any major surgery begins with low-intensity in-bed mobility exercises. You also have to work on your respiration to clear your lungs of secretions during your hospital stay.
Here’s what the physiotherapy program looks like for knee replacement surgery patients:
- Education about the precautions of the artificial joint and rehab timeline
- Exercises for mobility and prevention of contractures
- Sport-specific / recreational drills (function training)
Top 9 Physiotherapy Tips for Optimal Recovery After a Knee Replacement Surgery
Here are some tips that’ll help you make the most of your personalized physio rehab program after knee replacement surgery:
1. Enrol in a Prehab Program
Your rehab starts before the surgery, hence the term prehab.
Most orthopedic surgeons will recommend that you find a physiotherapist before the surgery. If your surgeon didn’t, then you should search for a physiotherapist yourself and start preventive exercises.
Enrolling in prehab PT program decreases the duration of your stay in the hospital after surgery and speeds up your recovery later on. (Reference) But it doesn’t affect the range of motion and muscle strength after surgery.
Take this time before the surgery to learn post-operative rehab exercises. Get used to performing them so that it would be easier to do them later on.
Prehab includes getting your baseline values of muscle strength, gait, posture, and joint mobility.
Then you’ll be prescribed a low-intensity exercise program that works on your thigh muscles (quadriceps), hamstrings, and hip muscles through partial squats, toe standing, hamstring stretch, etc.
2. Stay Mobile
After your surgery, it’s important to stay mobile from day 0. It helps you improve circulation, maintain muscle strength, and avoid blood clot formation.
You should try to move every few hours or so and do the prescribed PT exercises. (Reference)
Although these exercises are uncomfortable in the beginning, you have to power through them to achieve optimal recovery after your knee replacement surgery. You can decrease the intensity of the exercises if they’re causing pain.
The inpatient physical therapist works with the post-operative patients during their stay in the hospital.
They begin with in-bed exercises such as ankle range of motion exercises and heel slides to bend the knee. Then they teach you to walk with a walker and transfer from bed to walker.
3. Don’t Compare Your Recovery With Others
Healthy competition between patients is a good thing. But you shouldn’t be too focused on others.
Each patient has his or her own superpowers and limitations. Someone who’s obese might stay on the crutches longer. On the other hand, a younger patient will develop muscle strength quicker simply because they started from a stronger position.
Comparing yourself with others too much can make you feel like you’re not making enough progress and steer you off track.
So trust the process and focus on the program that your physiotherapist designed for you based on your specific goals and abilities.
4. Pain Management Is Key
You can’t enjoy the true benefits of your physiotherapy recovery program if you’re in agonizing pain.
Some people have the misconception that pushing through the post-operative pain will speed up their recovery but in reality, doing so only does more harm than good. (Reference)
For optimal recovery after knee replacement surgery, you have to properly manage your pain.
It could be through painkillers, meditation or anything else that works for you and is approved by your surgeon.
You’ll be in a much better place mentally and physically to focus on your rehab exercises when your pain is under control.
5. Stick To Your Home Exercise Program
Joint replacement surgeries require excessive rehabilitation. You’re with your physiotherapist only for an hour or so every day. So you have to be your own therapist during the rest of the 23 hours of the day.
That’s why following the prescribed home exercise program is a must for optimal recovery after knee replacement surgery.
Home exercise programs help you recover in the comfort of your home and give you the freedom to do your exercises any time you want.
It’s better to be proactive and make adjustments to your home before you go for surgery to make it more accommodating for your post-surgical recovery.
You can also opt for home physiotherapy services where a physiotherapist will come to your home and help you perform the exercise.
They can also advise you on what you need to change around the house to make it the best environment for your rehab.
6. Power Through the Plateau
It’s possible that after a few weeks of rehab, you’ll notice that your muscle strength or joint range of motion isn’t improving like before. It might make you want to stop doing your PT because you don’t see the point of exercising.
That’s a critical stage. You have to find the willpower to get through the recovery plateau.
Returning to recreational and daily living activities can take months. You might never get to that point if you give up after a few weeks.
7. Don’t Rush Your Recovery
Some exercises during the early rehab phase will feel too easy for you. And you might be tempted to overdo them especially if you feel like you have a lot more potential and you can push your body further.
But don’t do that. The worst thing you can do during your recovery after knee replacement surgery is apply too much load too soon.
Gradual return to activity is the best approach. It takes about 3-4 weeks to observe significant improvement in pain and strength. And nearly 3 months for muscle power to return to near normal values.
Give yourself at least that much time before you try to rush your recovery. If you are obese or have severe muscle weakness and compensatory patterns, then the recovery duration will be longer.
If you feel that your body can handle more intense exercises, then you should talk to your physiotherapist about that instead of increasing the exercises on your own and messing up your recovery.
8. Communicate With Your Physiotherapist About Everything
If your physiotherapist is to design a program specific to your needs and goals, then s/he needs to know about them in detail.
The prehab stage is the best time to have this chat. Otherwise, you can talk to your physiotherapist after your surgery and revisit your goals periodically to see if the program is doing what it’s meant to, which is to bring you closer to your rehab goals.
Also, some discomfort and pain are to be expected after surgery. But if you’re feeling anything more than that, then don’t hesitate to talk to your physiotherapist about it.
Because as we’ve said above, the pain only discourages you from exercising and you don’t want that during your physical therapy after knee replacement surgery.
9. Understand the Science Behind the Physical Therapy Exercises
It always helps to follow something or someone when you can understand the benefits it offers you.
You’ll have to do a ton of exercises for a long time as part of your physio after knee replacement surgery. (Reference)
So, learn about the purpose behind each exercise and get to know how it helps you improve your function, pain and mobility.
It’ll become easier for you to do your exercises and follow the precautions this way and you’ll be motivated for each physio session too.
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The Takeaway
Physio after knee replacement isn’t only about exercising and strengthening the muscles around the knee.
Rehab is as much mental as it’s physical. You should find someone to rely on for emotional support and motivation to get you through the months of recovery.
Follow these tips closely and you’ll make it to the other side much stronger than before.
Feel free to contact us if you have any more questions regarding knee replacement and the physiotherapy required for it.
Disclaimer: This article is for informative purposes only. We provide well-researched and authentic information. Do not consider this personalized health advice. Please contact a licensed healthcare professional for medical issues and health concerns.