10 Best Home Exercises for Total Knee Replacement
Following a total knee replacement, exercise helps strengthen the muscles surrounding the knee joint and improve mobility. Stair climbing, walking, and muscle-focused exercises might all be beneficial.
People may begin more challenging workouts if they can walk short distances independently again after surgery. These can involve doing resistance training or riding a stationary bike.
However, high-impact exercises that strain the knee, like running or jumping, should be avoided by those who have had a knee replacement.
The ideal exercises following a total knee replacement are covered in this article.
10 Best Home Exercises for Total Knee Replacement:
Ankle pumps
- Begin in the supine position.
- After that, move your foot up and down while keeping your leg straight.
- Perform ten to fifteen repetitions.
Quadriceps sets
- Begin in the supine position.
- Put a cloth under the injured knee.
- Make an effort to straighten your knee.
- Hold for five to ten seconds.
- Repeat ten times.
Straight leg raises
Straight leg raise steps:
- Start in a supine lying position.
- After that, place your one leg straight and the other banded.
- Raise the straight leg a few inches off the bed and hold it there for five to ten seconds.
- Lower the leg slowly.
- Do 10-15 reps.
Sitting Supported Knee Bends
- While sitting at your bedside or in a chair with your thigh supported, position your foot below the heel of your operated knee to provide support.
- Slowly bend your knee as far as possible.
- Hold your knee in this position for five to ten seconds.
- Repeat a few times until you can fully bend your knee or your leg starts to feel tired.
- It should take two minutes to complete this workout.
Heel slides
- Begin in a supine position.
- Place your foot on the surface, gradually slide the heel towards your buttocks, and then return to the starting position.
- After that, repeat with the other leg.
Standing knee bends
- Stand up with crutches or a walker.
- Bend your knee as far as you can while lifting your thigh.
- Maintain the posture for five to ten seconds.
- Straighten the knee such that the heel touches the floor first.
- Continue until you’re exhausted.
- It should take two minutes to complete this workout.
Walking
- Stand up straight and grab the walker’s bars, or else walk on the ground.
- Reach forward with your operated leg, knee straightened so the heel of the foot meets the floor first after moving the walker a short distance.
- Step forward until the entire foot rests evenly on the floor and the knee and ankle bend.
- The toe will rise off the ground as this phase is finished. To reach forward for the subsequent stride, the hip and knee will likewise bend.
- Move forward in this manner for a brief distance.
Going up and down stairs
- Select a set of steps with a handrail for support and that aren’t too steep. Touch the rail with your hand.
- Use the unoperated knee to lead when you move upstairs. Take the operated knee as a lead when you go downstairs.
- Go up the steps one step at a time. Raise the opposite leg to the same level after ascending with the first.
- Have someone available to assist as needed, if at all possible. Until a person has recovered the majority of their strength, this might be helpful.
- People may ascend steps foot after foot after regaining their strength and agility.
Cycling on a stationary bike
- Make sure the bottom of the foot barely touches the pedal by adjusting the seat height.
- Pedal in reverse. Once you are at ease with this, keep pedaling.
- Start with 10 to 15 minutes of pedaling twice a day and work your way up to 20 to 30 minutes three to four times a week.
- After four to six weeks, as strength improves, gradually increase the bike tension.
Summary
Following a total knee replacement, exercises that focus on the muscles that support the knee joint are recommended. Stair climbing and walking are also good.
Following surgery, patients can start with basic bed exercises and gradually progress to more complex ones as they heal. People can progress to more difficult sports like cycling and resistance training after they can walk a short distance on their own.
If a person avoids high-impact exercises like jogging and jumping, their knee replacement will last longer.
FAQs
Which activity is ideal for a total knee replacement?
Your doctor may advise light exercise, like walking, in the days after surgery. It might be advised to ride a stationary bike for two weeks following surgery.
How can the range of motion be enhanced following a total knee replacement?
Bend your knee as far back as you can. Press your knee back further and place your non-operated foot in front of your ankle or shoe to maximize the stretch. Hold for a duration of 20-30 seconds. At first, this will feel tight and unpleasant, but this is quite typical. Over time, the movement and pain will gradually get better.
How frequently should I perform my knee replacement exercises each day?
It is important to take painkillers exactly as directed. Controlling your pain is crucial if you want to gradually increase your walking ability and do two to three workouts per day. Before beginning your activities, take your pain medication if you experience any discomfort.
Which workouts help break up the scar tissue in the knee?
It’s always based on these functional exercises, or range-of-motion exercises, which assist you in performing daily duties at home.
Stationary bike (ride or stretch)
Step flexion stretches.
Heel slides.
Step-ups.
Step downs.
Wall squats.
Single leg stance.
Referances
- Total Knee Replacement Exercise Guide – OrthoInfo – AAOS. (n.d.). https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/recovery/total-knee-replacement-exercise-guide/
- Physiotherapy, C. (2024, March 7). 12 Best Postoperative Exercises for Knee Replacement | Blog by CB Physiotherapy, Active Healing for Pain Free Life. cbphysiotherapy. https://cbphysiotherapy.in/blog/12-best-postoperative-exercises-for-knee-replacement
- West, M. (2023, August 1). Exercises after a total knee replacement. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/exercises-after-a-total-knee-replacement#summary
