KNEE SURGERY REHABILITATION

Are you experiencing knee pain? Is the pain impacting your quality of life? Are you considering having knee surgery?

Complex knee surgery, kneecap surgery, total knee replacement and partial knee replacement are by far the four most common orthopedics procedures performed on the knee.

Total knee replacement is performed to restore function and relieve pain in patients with severely damaged knees.

This surgery is usually done in extreme cases, when you have:

• Limited motion

• Knee is locking

• Extreme difficulty walking

• your knee pain is so severe that it interferes with your quality of life, work and sleep

Most surgeons will try to avoid surgery unless it is necessary. The benefits have to outweigh the risks.

Something often overlooked is that the patient needs to be fit enough to cope with both a major operation and the rehabilitation afterwards.

Before Surgery

Stay as active as you can. Strengthening the muscles around your knee will aid your recovery. The end results of your surgery begin in the gym long before the operation.

If you can, continue to do gentle exercise pain-free, such as walking and swimming, in the weeks and months before your operation.

If You can be referred to a physiotherapist, do so as they will give you helpful exercises to strengthen the legs muscles. Once you have the green light from your surgeon you can continue your strengthening program with a personal trainer. Make sure your personal trainer has relevant experience with your condition.

Some of our gym clients were able to postpone their surgery for years by strengthening their legs, improving pelvis function and their mobility.

Post-Surgery

Rehabilitation, with an emphasis on physiotherapy and exercise, is widely promoted after total knee replacement.

The therapy and early rehab are so important to obtain good range of motion and prevent scar tissue from forming which can limit function, range of knee flexion and lead to pain.

In total knee replacements you only get one chance to get a good outcome, there are no do-overs. Commonly, once your knee is stiff or your scar tissue becomes permanent there is no physiotherapist that is going to make a significant improvement. Early range of motion is key. Keep moving regularly.

Full recovery can take up to 2 years as scar tissue heals and your muscles are restored by resistance training. A very small amount of people will continue to have some pain after 2 years.

Committing to your rehabilitation exercises and performing the activities assigned by a Personal Trainer can help your knee become stronger and regain full motion.

Our Case Study

Our client in the picture, on surgeon recommendation, contacted our personal trainers prior to his total knee replacement to strengthen both legs muscles and increase range of motion. He has been experiencing pain during sleep and knees kept on locking. He had to give up on cycling, skying and climbing.

Range of motion was limited; joints were damaged and both knees needed surgery.

Following the strict protocol of training He was able to postpone surgery for 3 years.

Post-Surgery, He went into our leg rehabilitation program on both legs, despite having surgery only on one.

Incredibly, He was able to increase range of motion exponentially on both legs. His surgeon told him the second leg surgery can wait given the progress achieved on both legs and the reduction in pain.

So far it has been 6 years, no second surgery needed. Today, you can find our client on the Swiss slopes skiing.