Modern medicine has an answer for almost every ailment that previously was considered insurmountable. Innovation in medical field has resulted in replacement of parts of the body with implants either from donors or from artificial sources like metals and plastic. The success of these implants could be gauged from the near perfect life the recipient of the implant is able to lead after the surgery. Now, even when you are afflicted by debilitating knee arthritis or the inflammation of the knees that result in the total wear and tear of the cartilages surrounding the knee-joint you could opt for a knee replacement surgery to enable you to lead a normal life again.

Post-operative rehabilitation for knee replacement

Knee replacement is taken up as an option after exhausting all other types of medication for the painful arthritis. Yet even though men and women have reached the brink of discomfort before the knee replacement, they are able to resume even activities like sports and exercises subsequent to the surgery. Interestingly the key rehabilitation process for those undergoing the knee replacement is exercising the knee joints in order to avoid the loss of muscle tissues as well as to strengthen the muscles and help the joints to flex. Five basic exercises are recommended to flex and strengthen the knee after a replacement surgery.

Exercises to flex the knee

The common exercises prescribed to flex the knee are:

Quadriceps setting
Terminal knee extension
Heel slides

Immediately after the surgery, physiotherapists recommend a set of exercises to enable you to quickly recover and prevent the muscles and joints from becoming dysfunctional due to the presence of the artificial implant. Simple exercises involving the stretching and flexing of knees are recommended even when you are in bed-rest. Quadriceps setting, terminal knee extension and heel slides are some of the rudimentary exercises that are recommended for those undergoing the knee replacement. These flexing exercises may be repeated safely for a few times once every hour.

Exercises to strengthen the knee

The exercises to strengthen the knee muscles include:

Straight leg raising
Pillow squeezes

While it is very important to work out on the contraction and flexion of the operated knee for you to be in a position to move your limbs later without any inhibitions, strengthening the knee is also a very crucial part of rehab. Raising the legs straight and squeezing the pillow kept between the knees are standard exercises that are prescribed to strengthen the knee muscles. By gradually increasing the number of repetitions and by adding small weights as you raise your leg; you could strengthen the knee muscles easily to enable you to walk without any discomfort, later on.

Exercises recommended in the post-rehab period

With new artificial knee to support you now, you could subject your knees to various forms of activities and sports. However care should be taken not to involve in highly strenuous activities like contact sports, high impact aerobics, power lifting, gymnastics and advanced boot camp exercises. You may nevertheless indulge in activities like swimming, cycling and hiking.

Under the guidance of your surgeon and physiotherapist, you may succeed in doing other exercises too. If you are very enthusiastic about some other exercises or sports like tennis or golf, you may consult your specialists and take part in them at intermediate levels ensuring that severe stress is not posed on the implants made.