How long rehab after knee replacement

Walking helps deliver important nutrients to your knee to help you heal and recover. You can expect to use a walker for the first couple of weeks. Most patients can walk on their own roughly four to eight weeks after knee replacement. Physical therapy is a crucial part of recovering from knee replacement surgery. At home and at the rehab clinic a physical therapist will show you exercises that will help your knee heal.

Physical therapy will help strengthen your leg, help you walk, and restore the movement of your knee joint. This is different from the movements you learn in physical therapy. Engaging in safe physical activity helps your muscles get stronger and helps you heal quickly. However, pushing yourself too hard can cause a setback.

Your team can tell you what type of exercises are safe for you to perform, which might include extra walks or riding on an elliptical machine. Did you know that rest is just as important to your recovery? Balancing movement with getting enough rest is necessary to heal from knee replacement surgery. For the first few months, you may have some mild-to-moderate swelling of the affected knee.

Getting the appropriate rest and keeping your leg elevated, as well as applying ice, can help boost healing time. Knee replacement surgery often changes lives. You can recover well with the help of the team at Tri-State Orthopaedics.

We suggest wearing comfortable clothes that allow access to your knee—so wear either shorts or pants that can be easily rolled up. Be sure to wear non-skid shoes and socks. Of course, this will vary from patient to patient, depending upon your individual situation. However, in general, you can expect around 3 to 4 weeks of formal physical therapy from our experts. Our patients typically are able to drive within 2 to 4 weeks, go back to work in 6 to 8 weeks, and golf in 6 to 12 weeks.

Your physical therapy exercises that you learn should be continued on your own for a minimum of two months after your surgery. They may also recommend some additional exercises — such as riding a stationary bicycle — after this period to help keep your knee flexible. This will also help build your muscle tone. Therefore, there may be some slight variations of this timeline. They will already start exercising your knee and teach you specific exercises that will help strengthen you. During this time, physical therapy concentrates on balance, range-of-motion and strengthening exercises.

This may include:. Often, at this point, more low-impact activities may be introduced into your exercise regimen. In addition to walking, this includes swimming or riding a stationary bike. Many of the exercises above will continue.

Knee bends will concentrate on the goal of bending your knee to degrees. At this point, many are able to complete basic household chores and slowly get back to daily activities. By this time, you should have a wide range of motion in your new knee and have returned to many of the lower-impact activities you loved.

However, at this point you should still avoid several high-impact activities. Therefore, we recommend that you abstain from sports such as:. There are few things more rewarding than seeing patients return to their everyday activities without pain or discomfort.

For millions of Americans, knee replacements have helped them regain the life they once enjoyed before knee pain. Conway Medical Center has become a leader in this life-changing surgery by utilizing the latest advancements in medical technology and pain management.

We offer both total and partial knee replacement procedures by leading orthopedic experts who have the extensive expertise and experience to help you. The Conway Medical Center Foundation is dedicated to improving the quality of life of all individuals in the Conway Medical Center service area.

Through CMC Care you can access your medical records for both your hospital and physician office encounters and set primary care appointments at your convenience on any computer, tablet or mobile device. Exact matches only. Search in title. Search in content. Search in excerpt. A Healthier Choice. A Healthier You. Mayo Clinic. Updated December 29, Accessed July 10, Knee Joint Replacement.

Medline Plus, National Institutes of Health. Updated September 22, Accessed July 19, What makes patients aware of their artificial knee joint?. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. Total Knee Replacement. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Last reviewed August Accessed July Mihalko, WM.