{"id":523,"date":"2020-09-20T19:01:00","date_gmt":"2020-09-20T19:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fancysdayspa.blog\/?p=523"},"modified":"2020-09-20T19:01:00","modified_gmt":"2020-09-20T19:01:00","slug":"what-to-expect-after-knee-replacement-surgery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.texasmassageacademy.com\/blog\/what-to-expect-after-knee-replacement-surgery\/","title":{"rendered":"What to Expect After Knee Replacement Surgery"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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More than 4.5 million Americans are living with at least one knee replacement. While there\u2019s numerous reasons you may need a knee replacement, arthritis \u2013 the degenerative wear and tear on the joint over time \u2013 is the most common. Whether you\u2019ve recently had a knee replacement or your doctor just mentioned it as a possibility, looking at what you can expect after the surgery is a great way to decide if and when it\u2019s best for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For most people considering a knee replacement, significant knee pain has been a constant issue for quite some time, and you may have tried numerous forms of non-invasive or less-invasive measures of dealing with it; braces, physical therapy, steroid shots, etc. But there comes a point where surgery really is necessary to improve your quality of life, because the degeneration of the joint is only going to get worse. The good news\u2026the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons reports that 90% of people who have a knee replacement experience considerably less pain. But it\u2019s not like you\u2019ll just wake up from surgery and suddenly your knee is like it was when you were 20. Sorry! There\u2019s a lot of work that\u2019ll go into recovery, but it WILL be worth it. So, let\u2019s break this down for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Immediately after you wake up from surgery, there will probably be a physical therapist there who\u2019s going to want to get your knee moving right then. They may take you through some passive range of motion, meaning they\u2019re moving the leg and knee for you, but they\u2019ll also want you to try walking on it pretty soon after surgery too. Weight bearing is important to aid in the healing process of the joint. You may think that\u2019s soon, but it\u2019s absolutely necessary. Statistically speaking, those who put weight on the knee soon after surgery recover quicker than those who don\u2019t. The last thing you want is scar tissue to set into a joint; that means limited range of motion. Not exactly an ideal situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before release, most hospitals require you to be able to get in\u00a0and\u00a0out of bed, walk short distances, get up\u00a0and\u00a0down stairs, bend the knee to 90 degrees, follow precautions and avoid injuring the new knee. Note,\u00a0every hospital is different;\u00a0one may require just bending the knee to a 90-degree angle\u00a0and others have a long list of requirements. Before you go in for surgery, you\u2019ll want to find out the requirements for your release, so you know what to expect. If you have a multi-level home, don\u2019t have a care-taker or are facing other rehabilitation challenges, you may be released to a rehabilitation facility\u00a0so you have constant care until you\u2019re able to move more freely on your own. The use of a cane,\u00a0walker, or other forms of support may be necessary for the first few weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You\u2019ll more than likely be able to leave the hospital anywhere from 1 to 5 days after surgery; this really depends on the hospital policies, your health, recovery from anesthesia, and what your physical therapist and doctor decide based on your overall recovery outlook. When you go home, your doctor may prescribe the use of a continuous passive motion (CPM) machine. CPM machines help move the leg, straightening and bending it slowly while you\u2019re lying down. Your doctor and physical therapist will decide if a CPM machine is recommended and if so, how many hours a day you\u2019ll need to use it. Studies have come to conclude that the short-term benefit of CPM machine use is substantial, but long-term recovery is the same for those who use it as those who do not; so, many insurance companies no longer cover it. If that\u2019s the case, don\u2019t worry. Again, the long-term results seem to be the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Physical therapy is a must after a knee replacement; there\u2019s no question about it. When meeting with your physical therapist they will evaluate your range of motion and all factors involving your plan for rehabilitation, including what personal goals you have. Don\u2019t just settle for some arbitrary standard set by textbooks. Make it personal. What activities do you want to get back to? Just because a certain level of flexion and extension means \u201cfull recovery\u201d for most people, that doesn\u2019t apply if a good quality of life to you means going out to golf every weekend without pain, or hiking at your local parks. Your PT will need to adjust their rehab protocols to fit your goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other daily activities will be affected, like driving. If your knee replacement took place on your non-driving leg, you should be released to drive as soon as you\u2019re able to get in and out of the car comfortably and you\u2019re not taking pain medications that can impair your ability to drive. If your driving leg was the one operated on, it may be anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks after surgery before your doctor releases you to drive. Returning to work after your surgery dependsentirely on your job. If you work a sedentary job, you may return to work much earlier than if you work a job that requires any kind of standing or lower body physicality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just so you\u2019re aware, those first few weeks may be hard. And generally speaking, the longer you waited to have the surgery (i.e. the more degeneration that occurred) the harder the recovery may be. That\u2019s not to say you can\u2019t fully recover, just that it may be more painful and frustrating at the start of the recovery process. For most, somewhere between 3 and 6 months is the point where patients start to really see just how great their knee feels and can get back to the activities they once enjoyed before the knee pain took over. For some, full recovery may take as long as 12 months. Listen to your doctor, your physical therapist, and your body. Push yourself when needed, even when you don\u2019t want to, but give yourself time to rest too. Balance is key. It WILL be worth it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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More than 4.5 million Americans are living with at least one knee replacement. While there\u2019s numerous reasons you may need a knee replacement, arthritis \u2013 the degenerative wear and tear on the joint over time \u2013 is the most common. Whether you\u2019ve recently had a knee replacement or your doctor just mentioned it as a possibility, looking at what you can expect after the surgery is a great way to decide if and when it\u2019s best for you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":828,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[75],"tags":[124],"class_list":["post-523","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stretching-exercise","tag-knee-surgery"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.texasmassageacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/knee-replacement.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.texasmassageacademy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/523","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.texasmassageacademy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.texasmassageacademy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.texasmassageacademy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.texasmassageacademy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=523"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.texasmassageacademy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/523\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.texasmassageacademy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/828"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.texasmassageacademy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=523"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.texasmassageacademy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=523"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.texasmassageacademy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=523"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}