New Zealand
You really only need to do a minimum amount of PT exercises. Mostly, just walking around the house, and doing a few Heel slides and how to do them is all you need. As you progress, your activities of daily living will increase, which will automatically increase the amount of exercise your knee gets.
Do remember what the BoneSmart mantras advise, especailly these:
- if it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physiotherapist (PT) - to do it to you. Exercise only gently
- if your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.
Squats are particularly bad for a new knee, because they put such a lot of stress on it. Please don't do them until your new knee is at least 3 months old.
Your quads will wake up when they are ready to. That usually happens spontaneously, when they have recovered from the trauma of the surgery. You don't have to do squats to help them.
I'm just a Forum Advisor, not an Administrator, but here I am, to confirm what Suz said.
My surgeon does not allow any formal PT for the first month after a knee replacement. He says that your knee needs that time, to start on its journey of healing. The only time a therapist came to me in hospital was to help me get out of bed and back in again, to teach me how to walk with a walker and then crutches, and to negotiate stairs. Those are all classed as ADL - Activities of Daily Living - and that was all I needed.
At home, I walked to and from the bathroom, or around the house every hour or so. Mostly, for the first few weeks I spent most of my time resting, icing and elevating my knee, and taking my pain meds on a regular schedule. Once in while, if I remembered, I did a few heel slides (but not many).
As I grew stronger and less tired, I gradually increased my activity.
I have now rehabbed both my knees this way. They are strong and reliable. They straighten fully and bend to over 125 degrees. I can do anything I want with them.
Following his regime, my surgeon's patients all do well and he hasn't had to do a manipulation to help with ROM (Range of Motion) for the past 3 years.
A lot of people seem to go into having a knee replacement without realising how long the recovery is going to take. It is major surgery, and it takes a long time to recover - as long as a full year for all your soft tissues to heal completely, although you will be capable of doing most things long before that.
Right now, you're still in the hardest time - the dark days of recovery - but things will improve in a few weeks. Hang in there. It's worth it!
