Knee replacement surgery, popularly known as arthroplasty, serves as the most common method that alleviates pain. This restores function in numerous individuals who suffer from severe knee damage. This surgery includes replacing all damaged parts of the knee joint with artificial components, enabling the patients to regain their mobility while enhancing their quality of life.
However, the surgery comes with its set of recovery periods, after-effects, and exercises that are highly essential for successful surgery. Let’s discover knee replacement surgery, along with the discussion of its after-effects and recovery time, and post-surgery exercises.
Overview
Knee replacement surgery is recommended for various individuals who specially suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, or post-traumatic arthritis, where cartilage in knee joint worms away, resulting in stiffness and severe pain.
Moreover, this surgery’s goal is to reduce pain, correct leg deformities, and help the patients to get back to their normal life. While this surgery seems to be highly effective, its recovery procedure is crucial to ensure long-term success.
During the knee replacement surgery, healthcare professionals remove bone and cartilage from the knee joint and replace them with artificial components, like plastic or metal. These artificial components mimic the knee’s natural movement and help in restoring its functions. And, as per the severity of the situation, a partial or total knee replacement is advisable.
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After Effects of Knee Replacement Surgery
While knee replacement surgery offers long-term relief from severe pain, patients need to be aware of after-effects that might arise during recovery. And, these after-effects could vary from patient to patient, but it’s some common after-effects includes:-
Swelling and pain
Post-surgery pain is common as the body starts to heal after that. And, pain might increase within a few starting days and then decrease with time. Moreover, swelling around the lower leg and knees is common and could last for various weeks.
Stiffness
Stiffness in the knee joint serves as one of the most frequent after-effects of knee replacement surgery. It could make it difficult for patients to fully extend their leg or in bending. Proper exercises and physical therapy seems to be essential to reduce stiffness while enhancing its range of motion.
Bruising
Bruising around the surgical site serves as another typical after-effect that is temporary. And, the bruising should reduce as the body begins to heal.
Limited mobility
Just after surgery, patients might experience limited mobility, that need certain devices, including walkers or crutches for proper support. Moreover, it might take some time to entirely regain full freedom in movement.
Blood clotting
There is a risk of development of blood clots after surgery, especially in legs. And, to avoid this, healthcare professionals prescribe varying blood thinning medicines, and every patient is encouraged to move their legs constantly during recovery.
Nerve damage
Although nerve damage seems to be rare, certain patients experience temporary or permanent nerve damage that results in tingling, numbness, and weakness around the surgical area. While after-effects could be concerning, some might be temporary and improve with proper care and with time.
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Knee Replacement Exercises after the Surgery
Knee replacement exercises serve to be crucial for successful recovery after the surgery. These exercises help in strengthening muscles around the knee, enhance motion range, and promote body healing. Here comes the major exercises that should be done during the recovery procedure:-
Quadriceps sets
Quadriceps sets serve as the most simple exercises that strengthen quadriceps muscles that play a major role in movement of knees. To do this exercise, you are required to lie on your back with your legs straight.
Ensure to tighten your muscles in front of your thigh by pushing the back of your knee down towards the floor. Now, hold for almost 5-10 seconds and then relax. You need to do this exercise 10-15 times , several times in a day.
Ankle pumps
Ankle pumps help in enhancing blood circulation in legs, which reduces risk of blood clots after knee replacement surgery. To perform this exercise, you need to lie down or sit with your legs extended. After that, you need to flex your foot to bring your toes towards your shin, then point the toes away from you. Repeat this cycle 10-20 times in a day.
Straight leg raising
This type of exercise helps in strengthening your leg muscles without putting extra strain on your knee joint. To perform this exercise, you need to lie flat on your back with one leg bent and the other leg straight.
Then, you require to slowly lift your straight leg to almost 12 inches from the ground, keeping your leg straight. Then, hold your leg for a few seconds, then lower the leg slowly. Repeat this cycle 10-15 times, several times in a day.
Heel slides
Heel slides effectively enhance the motion range and flexibility of your knee joint. In order to perform this exercise, you need to lie on your back with straight legs.
Then, you need to slowly slide your affected leg’s heel toward your buttocks, while bending your knee as much as you can. Now, hold it for a few seconds, then slide it back to the starting position. Perform this 10-15 times, several times in a day.
All these exercises should be done under professional guidance, especially during the early stages of recovery. Slowly increasing the duration and intensity of these exercises effectively helps in enhancing knee mobility and strength with time.
Knee Replacement Surgery Recovery Time
Recovery time after knee replacement surgery depends on various factors, like the patient’s overall health, age, and type of knee replacement done. However, there are some timelines that offers rough estimate of what to expect during recovery time:-
- In the starting weeks, patients are encouraged to move their knees and perform some basic exercises in order to heal.
- By 4-6 weeks, patients should be able to walk short distances without any support or help.
- By 7-12 weeks, several patients experience reduction in swelling and pain.
- And, full recovery takes almost 3-6 months. So, during this time, you need to engage in less straining exercises.
FAQs
The quickest method to recover from knee replacement surgery is to engage into a rehabilitation plan, including performing exercises, management of swelling, and maintaining a positive attitude.
Patients need to continue with their exercises for almost 3-6 months after surgery. Starting 3 months serves to be the most critical period, so during this duration some physical therapies are recommended.
The most common problem after knee replacement surgery is stiffness of knee joint. This issue could make it difficult for patients to entirely bend or extend the knee.
Certain patients could walk with guidance or support within surgery’s starting weeks. However, walking without support could take 4-6 weeks, and within 3 months, you could walk more comfortably.