Knee Replacement Surgery: How You Can Prepare
Replacing a knee is a significant procedure and requires frequent therapy and exercise sessions, after the operation, to regain both strength and mobility. There are a few things that the potential knee recipient can do before the operation to shorten recovery time afterward. One of the simplest is to exercise before surgery to strengthen the muscles in the joints.
The deterioration of the knees leads the patient to a destructive cycle that makes recovery difficult. Increased pain leads to reduced activity. Reduced activity means a gradual weakening of the muscles associated with the joints. And weak muscles mean recovery afterward is prolonged and made more difficult.
Every individual is different in terms of the degree of discomfort or pain that they experience as a result of their knee problems. Fortunately, doctors are more likely to recommend and schedule knee replacements earlier in the process now than they were years ago. Whereas before they only did the procedure for people suffering from significant discomfort and reduced mobility, they will now schedule the replacement when it is obvious that it will need to be done soon, thus saving a lot of suffering.
The good news is that with reduced levels of pain, the individual tolerates higher levels of exercise. They may begin a muscle-strengthening program prior to surgery, ensuring they are in peak condition for recovery afterwards.
Flexibility exercise, while useful, is not as critical as strength exercise. Simple exercises that use your own body weight are enough to make a difference in post-surgery recovery. Here are two simple exercises that the individual can do at home.
1. Leg Extensions: Sitting in a straight-backed chair, place one hand on your thigh muscle and simply extend your leg in front of you, pointing your foot as far back as it will go. You should feel your thigh muscle tense. Try to straighten your leg and level it at full extension. Do ten repetitions keeping the leg extended counting to 6 for each repetition. If you can do it easily, try to lengthen the time it takes you to raise your leg. That is, you lift your leg very slowly, taking about 5 seconds to fully extend it. Then hold it for a count of 6. Then take a full 5 seconds to lower it to a relaxed position. If you still find it easy, try putting on a heavy shoe or boot while doing the exercise, which will put more work on your leg. You can repeat this exercise twice a day in the months leading up to your operation.
2. Stepping Up: Standing at the bottom of a set of stairs, or one step, place your foot on the next higher step. Using your hands to balance on a handrail or door frame, slowly come up shifting your weight to your higher leg and extending it. The key here is to do this exercise slowly, until you have fully extended your leg. Then slowly bend your knee and allow yourself to come back down to your starting position. No additional weight is needed for this exercise. If you find it easy to do, slow down. If you find it difficult to do so, use the back of a chair or an extended cane to prop yourself up. Maintain an upright posture, avoid stooping or leaning to the sides, and take it easy for the first week you do this. Perform 10 repetitions twice a day.
The key with any exercise program is to start slow and build up gradually. Don’t fight through high levels of pain. Pain is a message. Find the best time of day to do the exercises. For many people this will be the morning. Consider placing a cold pack or a towel-wrapped bag of frozen peas or beans on the joint after exercise. Follow your doctors recommendations and best of luck.