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Knee Replacement Recovery: After Exercises
Knee Replacement Recovery: After ExercisesIn the days and weeks following knee replacement surgery, physical activity is an important part of recovery.Begin to do your post-operative exercises in the hospital and continue to do them after you return home. Youmay have practiced many of these post-operative exercises before your surgery as part of your preparation.Now after your surgery, these exercises help you regain motion in your knee, strengthen the muscles aroundthe new joint and help you perform many normal daily activities. These exercises may include ankle pumps,quad sets, gluteal sets, heel-slides, short arc quads, straight leg raises, long arc quads, seated knee flexion,and arm-chair push-ups.In the hospital, you will work with a physical therapist to ensure you are doing these exercises correctly. If youare doing an exercise incorrectly or too much, you run the risk of damaging your knee and complicating yourrecovery. And when you are at home, continue to work with a physical therapist to stay on track. Your physicaltherapist may come to your home to help you, or you may attend outpatient physical therapy at a rehabilitationcenter. With the help of your physical therapist, you will set exercise goals to continue to build the strength inyour knee.Do your exercises as prescribed, usually about 20 minutes, two times a day. Make them a part of your dailyroutine so you do not miss a session. As you get stronger, you and your physical therapist will set new goals towork towards. This may mean some exercises will change as your recovery progresses.Exercising after having surgery can be painful, but you need to exercise in order to help build the strength inyour knee and regain your balance. Take your pain medication when needed about an hour prior to yourtherapy session. Talk to your healthcare provider if you think you have more pain than you should whileexercising. You may need to increase the amount of pain medication you take or change your medication.Continue to do your post-operative exercise routine as directed until your follow-up appointment. Butremember - exercise is a healthy part of daily living and you should continue to do some form of exercise evenafter your recovery is complete. With your new knee, you can now do many of the activities you used to do and enjoy them.This program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness,or suitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.VER59085B EN KneeReplacementRecoveryAfterExercises.pdf© The Wellness NetworkPage 1 of 1
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