One of the unfortunate hurdles we face as men over 50 is our bodies acknowledging our “maturity.” It is inevitable that given a half-century of work, workouts, sports, and god-knows-what-we-did-as-kids, that we face the necessity of repairing (and even replacing) our joints, in particular, our knees. In our series on post-injury and post-illness returns to workouts, we wanted to cover this topic in – Working out After Knee Surgery
In a 2018 interview with CNN, Dr. Matthew Sloan, co-author of the study and an orthopedic surgery resident in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, said that the most common total joint replacement in the United States are total knee replacements, numbering around 700,000 a year. (Read the full interview here.) With the advancements in replacements, and procedures sometime being done on an outpatient basis, many men 50 and over are opting for the elective surgery to get back on with their lives.
Why Work out After Knee Surgery
Regardless of the decision, knee replacement is still a significant undertaking and after surgery your leg muscles are obviously and often weak. This could be because of lack of use before the surgery as you compensated for the pain or after as your knee heals, but either way it’s important that you build up the muscle again as soon as you’re cleared by your doctor.
Working out in Early Recovery
According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, regular exercise is crucial not only for your sanity but also to get back your strength, mobility, and flexibility. During early recovery, your medical professionals (surgeon or physical therapist) may have you exercising as much as 20 to 30 minutes per day a few times a week. While it will be painful, working out after knee surgery is key to your recovery. Exercising during early recovery helps keep the circulation going in your legs, preventing blood clots, a dangerous and even life-threatening situation.
Specific Exercises in Early Recovery
After any major knee surgery or injury, regaining strength is central to your recovery and implementing gentle exercises as early as possible is advisable. Bearing weight on your knee joints and implementing range of motion exercises helps reduce the risk of scar tissue forming, which would limit your joint’s flexibility.
A few exercises your doctor or therapist may have you do in early recovery include:
Quadriceps strengthening
Tightening your thigh muscle while lying down, slowly try to straighten your knee, holding it for up to 10 seconds. Try repeating this 10 times within two minutes, but do not exceed you comfort level.
Leg raises
With tight thigh muscles and while laying down or sitting, slowly try lifting your leg with a straight knee. Only go as high as you feel comfortable and hold for up to 10 seconds.
Knee bends
Lying down, bend your knee and slide it slowly close to your buttocks (only go as far as you feel comfortable). Hold it there for up to 10 seconds and then straighten.
Ankle pumps
‘Pump’ your foot up and down, letting your calf and shin muscles contract with each lift. Do this for 2 minutes or until your leg feels tired.
Managing the Stairs
It may sound conflicting, but stairs can be an excellent therapeutic tool to working out after knee surgery. As you recover, and on the advice of your PT or doctor, incorporate light stair work as part of your exercise routine to rebuild your strength levels. A practical tip in using this technique is to lead with your “good” leg as you climb, and lead with your “bad” leg as you descend. Take your time, ascend/descend one step at a time, and use the handrail rail as you work. Avoid climbing steps that are greater than 7 and take your time getting to the ‘foot over foot’ method of stair climbing until you feel comfortable.
Advanced Workouts
Once you are beyond the ‘basic workouts,’ it’s time to get your knees moving. The swelling and pain following injury or surgery may have weakened your knee, so use these tips now to get that power back.
Standing knee bends
Holding onto a stable object, bend your knee and lift it toward your chest as far as you can go without feeling discomfort. Hold it for a few seconds and release it.
Ride an exercise bike
An exercise bike is an excellent tool when recovering from knee surgery, although try this variation: Position the seat so that your leg is straight when your foot is on the peddle. Slowly peddle backward and only backward until you feel comfortable, then slowly transition to a slow forward peddle.
Add some resistance…bands
Resistance bands are making considerable headway into the fitness world as a viable alternative to the rigors of heavy weightlifting. Given the ability to control the resistance and exertion levels, they are a perfect tool for using your knee joint while still delivering muscular strength. We can use bands for leg extensions, front and back, as with lying hip and knee stretches, while allowing your hamstrings and quads to remain active. You may only be able to do fewer repetitions, but you’ll gain strength with the use of the bands and can slowly increase the resistance as you feel stronger.
Final Thoughts – Precautions to Take
The most important thing to remember on recovery is to go slow, this is not a race. How you recuperate now determines what happens down the road and to the success of your surgery. No need to try moving without support, this isn’t the time for bravado when your body needs to heal. You may have gone through this procedure to gain your mobility to prepare for the next twenty years, so the last thing you need to do is undo all that has been done to get you back on your feet!
We hope that you’ve found some useful information with our piece; Working out After Knee Surgery. As always, if you don’t see something here you want us to cover, feel free to reach out to us directly through our Contact page or leave a comment below. Stay healthy and happy! ~ Glen.
References:
https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/recovery/total-knee-replacement-exercise-guide/
https://www.stoneclinic.com/total-knee-replacement-rehab-protocol
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