After you have had successful knee replacement surgery, your medical professional should give you some advice on exercises to carry out to keep it moving and feeling healthy. These exercises won’t be anything too strenuous – it’ll be more about regaining the mobility and stability that you have lost before and after surgery.
If you’re still struggling to get moving after your operation, try out some of these exercises. These exercises are what we advise our patients to try after they have been in with us for knee replacement surgery.
Work out your ankles
This exercise involves lying on your back on a flat surface. You should bend your ankles up so that your toes are pointed in your direction. If this feels okay, you should then bend your ankles up so that your toes are now pointing in the opposite direction. Keep on doing this! You should also rotate your ankles clockwise and anticlockwise – to keep them moving. This is a brilliant way of circulating the blood in your body to avoid any unpleasant swelling.
Bend your knees
Since your knees are the part of your body that are going to feel the most sore, this might feel a little alien to begin with. It’s easier to do this one sat down – so find a solid chair that is very stable. You should bend your leg so that it goes underneath your seat – which will bend the knee far back, too. Hold it for 5-10 seconds before resting – then try it again. This should help stretch your range of motion and improve the mobility.
If you want to progress on this stretch, you can hold the knee back for up to 30 seconds, whilst stretching forwards in your seat. You can keep on holding it for longer when it starts to get easier.
Squeeze your thighs
This exercise also means lying flat on your back on a flat surface. Push the back of your knee down towards the floor, so that it stretches and tightens your thighs. This is working the muscles in your thighs – reducing stiffness and improving quadricep strength.
You should hold this for 5-10 seconds at a time and repeat for at least 5 circuits.
These exercises are brilliant for the first 2-5 weeks after surgery – you’ll need an adapted plan for when your knee starts to drastically improve. If you’re having problems with your joints and you think you might require surgery, please don’t hesitate to contact us here at the Joint Replacement Surgery.
Miss Samantha Z. Tross is an experienced joint replacement surgeon in London. She has years of experience when it comes to joint replacement, whether it’s for the hip or knee. This means she is fully trained to offer you the best possible advice when it comes to your health. T
o book a consultation, please give us a call on 07943 947 639 and a member of the team will be happy to arrange a time suitable for you.
