Fitness and Your Knee Replacement

After having your knee replaced, deciding on getting yourself back in good physical condition should be a priority on your list of things to accomplish. Generally most of us have done very little weeks or even months leading up to surgery due to pain and general discomfort. There are three areas you want to pursue when deciding to get started on a physical fitness routine after surgery.

• Increase Your Mobility. After your structured physical therapy program, you will want to have achieved at least 110- 120 degrees of motion. The truth is some will and some will not. In order to get your knee as mobile as possible you want to work on stretching the muscles that are involved in flexing and extending the knee. That is your quadriceps or thigh muscles and your hamstrings in the back of your knee. That is done through various exercises that you were given during physical therapy. Exercises such as sitting in a straight back chair and taking your non-surgical leg and help bring your operated leg back and holding for a slow count of five to ten will get the job done. there are many ways to increase your mobility. The important thing is to have a fully functional knee so that you are able to walk properly using the right gait pattern.


• Types of Exercise Equipment. There are two pieces of exercise equipment I recommend my patients to use during knee rehabilitation and while improving their level of fitness, the stationary bike and the treadmill. Both of these pieces of equipment will also help tremendously in gaining knee mobility though the bicycle is the better of the two. Start on either one for 5-10 minutes at first slowly building up to 30-45 minutes ultimately to increase our overall health and cardiovascular fitness.

Also another piece of exercise equipment I recommend is the seated leg extension machine. This machine used with a light weight around 5 to 10 pounds to start with will help in developing mobility and strength in your quadriceps. The seated hamstring curl machine is another great tool to use to develop further extension in your knee and develop the hamstrings.


• Weight Training. When working on a program to develop and improve on your fitness after surgery, weight training is an important part that should not be avoided. Stronger muscles throughout your body help to burn more calories and create better body control. Weight training is one area that I find many patients tend to avoid however, you cannot afford to skip this area. Stronger muscles around the joint replacement allows for a better functioning prosthesis and allows you to pursue your fitness goals without pain and overall joint discomfort.

To improve your overall lifestyle and ability to get back to being fully functional, following a well planned and structured fitness program must be a part of your daily routine. Ask your physical therapist for ideals and recommendations for taking your fitness to the next level after joint replacement surgery.