Having a knee replaced can be a wonderful thing if you have been in extreme pain for some time. The chronic pain that is associated with an arthritic knee not only can be crippling but, it also begins to atrophy and weaken the surrounding muscles that support the knee. There are many aspects of the surgery that have to be completed well to avoid knee replacement failure but, one of the things that you as a patient have complete control over to assure your knee does not fail is to build as much strength around it as possible.
Your physical therapy will consist of a multitude of exercises to help not only strengthen the knee but, get as much range of motion as possible. One of the biggest mistakes I see patients possibly commit after rehabilitation is to think that all that has been done is all that can be done. One of the best things that you can do after your physical therapy is to work on a strengthening and conditioning program for the knee.
Your knee has to have strong muscles that surround it to avoid muscle imbalance. If you do not continue to strengthen the knee, then the joint takes on more of our bodyweight then it should and prematurely wears out the prosthesis.
It is important that you continue to strengthen the quadriceps, hamstrings, and the calf muscles so that they support your weight when you walk rather then the joint. If you have suffered with knee pain for a long time your walking mechanics have been compromised and part of the rehabilitation process is to get you walking right again. Strengthening the muscles around the knee can be done in several ways. The exercises generally given by your surgeon will involve water based activities or pool exercises. Though these are great exercises for a large portion of the population, I would recommend if you are a younger adult, a more aggressive strengthening program for the affected knee and leg as a whole.
For strengthening the quadriceps I would recommend the leg press or the squat using light weight.
I have found over the years these have been the best exercises for strength building around the knee. I have incorporated them into my leg routine for over 10 years now without any difficulty. The lighter weight here will build both strength and endurance in the thigh muscle.
For the hamstrings, seated or lying hamstring curls are excellent. Again, light resistance is all you need. You will find much later that your leg can handle more weight but there is no need to, keeping the hamstrings strong is the issue here and they will respond to lighter weight.
The calf muscles are generally neglected by everyone. I recommend getting inside a standing calf machine and use light enough weight that you get a full range of motion with the exercise. This will develop more strength underneath the knee and,also will help tremendously with your balance as it strengthens the ankle and foot.
The number of repetitions you can do is between 12-15 on each exercise. These exercises of course are not for everyone. Your surgeon will tell you "do not do that" unless they are proponents of the weight game they will be rather passive in their exercise recommendations. We all can agree on however that you stay away from high impact activities on either the hip or knee replacement like running for instance.
With this protocol I have had wonderful results with my replacement and the knee has held up just fine.In fact, I think it has done as well as it has due to the exercise and the further development of the muscles and ligaments around it.
If you belong to a local gym or health club in your area there is equipment that you can use that will bring you along slowly. The smith machine for instance is a fantastic machine to squat in. Give them a try along with using the stationary bike and see the results you obtain in building a stronger knee that is more reliable for the future.
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