3 Things To Do After Your Knee Replacement

knee replacement recovery

If you’re one of the lucky half-million people to receive a knee replacement this year, you are now set up to enjoy greater mobility where you only had stiffness and pain. Your artificial knee is built to last, but to get the most out of it—and to recover strong—there are 3 things you should do to help rehabilitate your new knee. 

Knee Replacement Recovery

As a PT, I’ve seen countless knee replacements and helped many patients regain full mobility. I know from experience that what you do after a surgery affects its long-term success.

Most of the time, knee replacement recovery is fairly straightforward and predictable. It could take up to 6 weeks for you to resume a moderate amount of daily activity, such as short walks or light shopping. 

For the first week after you’re discharged from the hospital, you’ll probably use a walker to get. You’ll also be heading to physical therapy regularly, where your PT will help you progress from using a walker to using a straight cane

Along the way, your physical therapist will show you some valuable knee replacement exercises to do at home. And if they’re like me, they’ll also share these 3 tips.

Knee Replacement Tips (Video Review)

Tip #1: Perform Ankle Pumps

knee replacement exercise

One of the first exercises to learn after a knee replacement is ankle pumps. The reason we prescribe ankle pumps after a surgery is to promote blood flow and prevent clots. 

Blood clots can happen for any number of reasons. For someone recovering from knee replacement surgery, one of the most common causes of blood clots is lack of movement. Prolonged rest can make your blood pool in the lower extremities, such as your legs and feet. 

By contrast, pumping your ankles up and down (or “tapping your toe” in the air) will engage the calf muscle, which works as a sort of sump pump to the body. With the calf engaged, blood will more readily flow back up towards the heart and into circulation. 

Ankle pumps can be a great exercise to perform at night when your legs feel tired and swollen. Simply elevate your legs, apply ice to the knee, and perform 20 to 30 ankle pumps at a time. This routine should help relieve some of the pain around your knee, reduce swelling, and improve your overall recovery.

Similarly, you can combat blood clots by incorporating more movement throughout your day. Whenever you sit for long periods of time, get up and move around every 20 to 30 minutes, in keeping with your PT’s instructions. 

Tip #2: Take It Easy

I know I just said to get up and move around when you’ve been sitting too long, but the reverse is also true. Don’t overdo it! Move enough to help your knee but not so much as to hurt it.

A common mistake I see following a knee replacement is trying to overdo activities—too much, too soon. Often, people try to go grocery shopping right after a knee replacement, only to experience severe pain, discomfort, and swelling later.  

If you overdo activities and try to “walk it out,” your recovery will pay the price. Tiring yourself out from errands could sap your strength and leave you with little energy to perform beneficial physical therapy. 

Stick to your PT’s or doctor’s instructions regarding post-op activity, and ask them how far you should be walking each day. Your PT can also show you how to use your walker or cane with a proper gait pattern and without limping. 

And when you’re feeling restless, remember—there’s always PT to do! In fact, there’s a good chance your PT will give you an exercise handout to take home and guide your recovery. Do your best to perform these exercises, as recommended, throughout your recovery. And that takes me to my third point.

Tip #3: Continue Your Exercises After PT 

Once you’ve completed your physical therapy treatments, it’s important to continue your exercises on your own. Even if you feel “back to normal” or have little discomfort, that doesn’t mean your knee is fully recovered. The healing process after a total knee replacement continues for upwards of a year. 

In the weeks following your discharge from PT, make it your goal to continue building more muscle and restoring your knee to full strength. Your PT can help you get there. Simply ask them for advanced hip and knee exercises that you can do in the months following rehab. You can also ask your PT about returning to specific activities and sports you enjoy, such as tennis, golf, or swimming.

Final Thoughts

If you follow these tips correctly, you should continue to enjoy less pain, greater mobility, and a better quality of life than you had before surgery. To maximize your recovery, be sure to follow your surgeon’s instructions for diet or wound care in addition to your PT’s exercise treatments.

Tim Fraticelli DPT, MBA, CFP®

Tim Fraticelli is a Physical Therapist, Certified Financial Planner™ and founder of PTProgress.com. He loves to teach PTs and OTs ways to save time and money in and out of the clinic, especially when it comes to documentation or continuing education. Follow him on YouTube for weekly videos on ways to improve your financial health.