Why wait until your after knee replacement before you start exercising your knee?
This is very common and most people will wait until surgery before they start any rehabilitation programme. The new term is PREHAB – and it’s used to describe therapeutic exercise that you perform before your procedure.
Why is it important?
You could be waiting a long time before you have your replacement and during that time you will be gradually getting weaker and de-conditioned. This is because you are unable to walk as far as you used to and you are unable to use your knee as you previously could.
The weaker you get, the harder and longer your recovery will be after the surgery. In all honesty the recovery is a slow and difficult process anyway, so why would you want to make it harder?
I’ve worked with lots of people with knee arthritis and the ones that did a prehab programme prior to surgery recovered quicker than those that didn’t. You could be performing strength exercises to maintain and build strength around your quads, hamstrings, gluts and calf’s. All of which support the knee. You can also cycle, swim or use the cross trainer to build you fitness as these are lower load bearing exercises than walking.
Taking Small and often approach to exercise is often better than high intensity exercise, as it will reduce the chance your knee becoming aggravated even further. Isolated exercises like straight leg raises and bridges are less provocative than squats and lunges and will help you perform your programme more consistently rather than having to stop/start all the time.
Finding the right balance is tough, so finding a physiotherapist to help you to get your programme right is crucial. This will ensure you do not over/under-load your knee and body.
Don’t wait until it’s too late and let’s get you best prepared for your procedure. Book in a consultation with a trusted physio and get started today.
Written by Dave Adkins
Chartered physiotherapist
