Never Do This!

If you are about to go into a knee replacement surgery Or just got finished with your surgery, I am glad you are here. There is an incredibly common mistake that many individuals make after getting a knee replacement, that I wanted to share with you today. This mistake will greatly decrease the effectiveness of your overall recovery and may lead to you needing another knee replacement down the road. Let’s take a look at that mistake and what you can do about it.

The Huge Issue

One of the biggest issues that happens with people after they have a knee replacement surgery is their lack of overall movement. Perhaps they got referred to a physical therapist for some light rehab exercises or were simply told to “ease back into normal activity.” In either of these cases, the individual will be back on their own at some point. What happens once they get on their own? They usually neglect to keep up with their knee replacement exercises and post operation routine. Unfortunately, this can lead to the weakening of all of the connective tissue that was just strengthened during the operation and physical therapy. Because of this, it is highly recommended keep a gentle-knee strengthening routine in your life. This will ensure that not only you will recover quickly from the surgery, but also reduce the chances of needing another one in the future! Let’s take a peak at a routine that you can do all from the comfort of your own home, below.

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Knee Replacement Routine

Any equipment we reference will be linked down below, so you can check those out for yourself.

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Mini Squats

Mini squats are one of my favorite exercises for individuals to do after a knee replacement. Chances are, you might have been doing an exercise similar to this in physical therapy already. When doing mini squats, technically they don’t have to be mini. I only use the term “mini” squats to emphasize for you to go as low as you comfortably can.

Leg Curls

Leg curls will help to keep the muscles in the back of our knee nice and strong, which allows us to keep the overall knee joint nice and stable. For this exercise, you will need a resistance band attached around your ankles, practicing bringing one heel back towards yourself in a chair while sitting down. Feel free to check our video linked above for reference how to do the exercise.

Side Shuffles

Side shuffles will have you keeping that ankle band around your ankles. Instead of sitting, rather, you will actually be standing up for this one. Simply being, side shuffles will actually have you working the muscles on the side of your hips, which can help keep your knees stable as well. Many times, these muscles are incredibly underworked in individuals who are just coming off of a knee replacement.

Single Leg Unstable Holds

For this exercise, you will need a balance pad, towel, or unsteady surface that you can stand on. Next, you will simply stand on one leg, slightly bent, on that unsteady surface. Feel free to hold onto an object when doing this. Although it does seem perhaps a little silly, this exercise targets your single leg strength and stability tremendously, and forces your supporting ankles muscles to adjust to the demands loaded on the one leg. Usually after a knee replacement one leg is slightly weaker, so it might be better to start with that one first.

Calf Raises

Of course, we can’t forget about some dedicated calf work to further our ankle strengthening. I would recommend getting the balance pad or item you had for the previous exercise, and place your toes up onto this item. Then, you will complete multiple sets of calf raises to fatigue. If there is any pain, of course discontinue the movement. By incorporating all of the following exercises, your knees will have a nice stable base to keep you moving well in life!

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Before You Go..

If you want to continue to improve your health and overall knowledge of the gym, regardless of your current abilities in life, you need to subscribe to our blog. Once you’ve done that, feel free to check another article I am going to link below, showing you a few more great ways to strengthen your knees!

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