Knee Surgery Recovery Tips

Congratulation on your successful knee surgery! However, the battle is not over yet. Our knee is a complex joint, so it is going to take time to recover.

There is a lot of information about knee surgery, but it can be hard to know what is true and what is not. So, in this article, we will walk you through some knee recovery tips to help you get back on your feet in no time!

What is the Fastest Way to Recover from Knee Surgery?

1) Wear your Knee Brace

After your knee surgery, you will likely need to wear a knee brace for at least three months. This will help protect your new knee as you are rehabilitating it. The doctor or physical therapist overseeing the recovery process can tell you more about when and how often to use it during your recovery period.

While some people find these braces uncomfortable, wearing them should not cause any pain so long as they fit properly and have been adjusted correctly by a medical professional. It might take time to get used to the feeling of having something on your leg. However, patients feel better knowing that their joint is protected while they go through rehabilitation exercises in many cases. Your knee without a brace could potentially strain without proper support. So, make sure to make proper use of it.

2) Physical Therapy

Physical therapy is a vital part of knee surgery recovery. It can help you maintain your strength and flexibility, and it will increase the range of motion in your knee, which is extremely important for a speedy recovery. Although your knee will still feel tender for several months after knee surgery, strength training exercises are crucial once you begin physical therapy. Sitting around all day isn’t going to do anything for knee healing or strengthening, but staying active with light exercise can help keep swelling down and ensure that blood flow continues properly through the body part throughout recovery.

Physical therapy also helps to prevent scar tissue from forming or any other damage that a lack of movement may cause after knee replacement surgery. When performing physical therapy exercises during knee surgery recovery, make sure that they are approved by your doctor first, as some movements should not be performed until later into rehabilitation, such as driving an automobile on an inclined plane with both feet on the accelerator pedal. Another thing to remember when doing physical exercise programs for knee replacement patients is to avoid overstretching the muscles. If there’s too much tension on it, it could potentially hurt the knee.

3) Eat Nutritional Foods

Make sure to have healthy food and drink options to promote knee surgery recovery. What this means is that you should not eat anything sugary, salty, or fatty because these could potentially make inflammation worse which slows down the knee replacement treatment process.

Make sure to remove junk food from your house as well such as chips and other snacks high in calories but low on nutritional value otherwise they will cause cravings for more unhealthy foods later on. Once again focus on healthy eating options when knee surgery recovery requires physical therapy exercises.

Be mindful of what you are putting into your body after knee surgery! Having a poor diet during recovery can put both short-term pains at risk with long-term damage to muscle strength.

4) Walk Once you are Allowed

The knee replacement recovery process will require you to walk when the doctor says it is time. Make sure to start with a slow pace and gradually increase your walking speed so that your knee can adjust over time.

Gradually work into physical therapy exercises! This means no jumping or running in place without first getting clearance from the doctor. This could result in an injury that would set back knee surgery recovery altogether. Recovery after knee surgery requires patience, but once you have completed physical therapy, your knee should be stronger than before!

What Not to do after Knee Replacement?

These are some of the preventative measures that you should follow after your knee surgery:

1) Don’t bend your knee more than 90 degrees in the first two weeks after knee replacement

2) Don’t crawl around on all fours due to the risk of infection and dislodging your knee prosthesis

3) Do not skip your blood thinners before having knee replacement surgery because they prevent the clotting of blood inside joints

4) Be extra careful when walking or using stairs because they can put too much pressure on the joint and cause pain. Even though you'll probably get a knee scooter from hospital staff after knee replacement surgery, try not to rely on them for long!

5) Don’t sit for more than 30 minutes at a time. If you try sitting longer than what your doctor recommends post-surgery, your knee could swell up as a result of excessive pressure on it from being immobile

6) Do not put the full weight down when standing after surgery, at least just after your surgery. You can take help of walking aid devices like crutches and canes

7) Do not engage in strenuous sporting activities, including jogging, for four months post knee surgery

What to Wear after Knee Replacement Surgery?

After knee replacement surgery, it is essential to wear comfortable clothes. This includes sweatpants/shorts with a draw-string waistband as well as loose-fitting t-shirts or button-front shirts. Buttonholes can be tricky for the first few weeks after knee surgery, so you may want to avoid them during your recovery period. You will also need shoes that have flat soles without heels (for example, athletic sneakers). Avoid high-heeled dress shoes and boots at all costs. They put unnecessary pressure on the surgical site and worsen swelling of the knee joint. This can prolong pain in the knee post-op recovery phase. 

Healing from Knee Surgery

Healing from knee surgery is different for everyone. It depends on many factors, including the knee surgery procedure and your general health at the time of knee surgery recovery. Several knee surgery recovery tips can help you heal faster while maintaining a positive outlook on life!

- Recovery times vary depending on which part of your knee was operated on but range from two weeks to four months

- Knee pain should decrease over time following any type of knee injury however, if yours does not, then contact your doctor immediately as this could be indicative of an infection or nerve damage

- Don’t expect too much too soon after knee replacement surgeries. You would have to give time to your knee to heal and strengthen itself.

- You may be required to use knee support during this time as well, such as any walking aid devices

- Your knee’s range of motion should start improving after a few weeks however, if not then discuss with your doctor immediately as they might need to take corrective measures such as performing physical therapy or surgery on it.

- You should speak with your doctor about knee surgery rehab exercises you can do after knee surgeries like knee replacements, ACL reconstruction, or other types of knee injuries

- If everything goes well, then the good news is that tightness in muscles surrounding knees will be gone within six weeks post knee surgery and recovering from this particular surgical procedure won't take more than three months

Conclusion

Healing from knee surgery takes time, so you should try to be patient. Although the painful part is over, the battle is not over yet. Many knee recovery tips can help you in your efforts to return to a normal life. We hope you find this article helpful and wish you good luck with your knee surgery recovery process!

Our mission is to help you recover and get back to life as easily as possible. Reboundwear’s adaptive clothing line is particularly designed to help those recovering from knee surgery. If you are an active adult and getting back quickly is important to you, we have got the best adaptive wear waiting for you. 

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