Physical therapy is crucial to your recovery after a total knee replacement surgery. It helps you restore the strength and mobility of your knee and gradually return to your daily routine activities. Surgery aids in removing the damaged, diseased, and worn-out parts of your knee and replacing them with artificial implants (prostheses). Recovery and rehabilitation are important factors that decide the fate of knee replacement.
Physical therapy (PT) involves a series of exercises that helps restore body movement and physical functionality. These exercises would differ from person to person based on their specific needs and overall health. Let us explore more about physical therapy, the types of exercises involved, the duration and their benefits.
The duration of physical therapy varies from patient to patient, depending on your body’s response to healing. You can expect to start your PT sessions within a day of your knee surgery. A trained therapist will guide you on the exercises.
You should perform the exercises suggested by your physical therapist for 20 to 30 minutes, twice or thrice. daily. Before you begin the exercises, walk for 30 mins (warm-up). Continue the exercises throughout your recovery process until you regain your knee stability and range of motion. Initially, you may require a few sessions with your therapist but gradually you will be able to do most of the exercises yourself. Physical therapy is to be continued as long as 3 months post-surgery.
Your physical therapist is an integral part of the team of healthcare professionals who would help you with your recovery post-total knee replacement surgery. The procedure helps you regain movement and function of your knee, and return to your daily activities. Your physical therapist will give you clear instructions for performing each exercise and explains the duration and repetition for each of them. He/she will help you exercise safely and effectively during your recovery period. The physical therapist will make an individual exercise plan for you at each stage as you recover.
If you have had a total knee replacement surgery or are expecting to have one, you will need physical therapy after surgery. This will help you regain mobility.
A rehabilitation protocol is a guideline followed by your orthopedic surgeon and your physical therapist. This ensures you are making progress after your knee surgery.
Let us look into the rehabilitation protocol week by week.
Physical therapy strengthens the muscles around the operated knee and helps in recovery. The following are some of the benefits of physical therapy:
Failing to adhere to the physical therapy program might result in the following:
Physical therapy prevents scar tissue formation after total knee replacement surgery. It strengthens the muscles surrounding the operated knee joint and helps in faster recovery. It facilitates improvement in joint function, mobility, and flexibility. With a dedicated rehabilitation and physical therapy program, you can recover within 6 to 12 months after your total knee replacement surgery.
It is important to have regular follow-ups with your surgeon and physical therapist, even after your recovery period, to avoid any post-surgical complications in the future. Consult Medfin’s expert team of surgeons for more information on total knee replacement.
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