How long is pt after knee replacement

You are tired of dealing with the stiffness, swelling, and pain associated with knee arthritis and have finally decided to schedule your partial or total knee replacement surgery. Your friends and family have told you all about how much better you’ll feel and how much more mobile you will be after surgery, but you also know that recovery from a knee replacement takes a lot of work. While it is true that recovery from a partial or total knee replacement takes time, with the proper preparations you will be back to doing the things you enjoy in no time.

Índice Show

Before Surgery
Directly Following Surgery
When to Start Therapy
Exercises to Perform and What to Expect
Time to Recovery
At the Hospital
Exercises You Should Do
How long does it take to walk normally after knee replacement?
How many weeks of PT for total knee replacement?
How long does pain and stiffness last after knee replacement?
How much physical therapy is needed for a knee replacement?

Before Surgery

Before your surgery, you may be given exercises to do to strengthen your legs. Your doctor may suggest attending physical therapy prior to surgery to receive instruction in exercises and walking after surgery. If requested it is important to attend these sessions. You may also discuss things that you may need after your surgery, such as a walker, a shower chair, or other helpful items.

Directly Following Surgery

After your surgery, you may go home the same day or you may stay overnight in the hospital for one or two nights. How long you stay depends on your doctor’s protocol and on your overall health. Before going home, you will likely be evaluated by a physical therapist. The physical therapist will assess how you move, including how well you are able to get into and out of bed, go up and down stairs, and get out of a chair. What the therapist decides to evaluate depends on whether you have stairs in your home, where your bedroom and bathroom are in your home, and other similar factors.

The physical therapist in the hospital will also give you a set of exercises to start immediately. These exercises will focus on gaining mobility (ability to move) in your knee and getting strength back in your leg.

When to Start Therapy

Some people start physical therapy in the clinic right away, while others will start working with a physical therapist who comes to their home. Where you start physical therapy depends on how well you can move around and if you are able to leave your home safely. Normally, therapy begins between two days and one week following your surgery. If you begin therapy in your home, expect to transition to an outpatient clinic within two to three weeks following your surgery.

Exercises to Perform and What to Expect

Immediately following surgery, you will likely experience significant swelling in the leg that had the surgery. The swelling may be in the knee and in the lower leg. You may notice bruising in your knee and lower leg as well. The best way to manage swelling is by icing your knee in an elevated position.

Outside of swelling, you may also notice that your leg feels temporarily weaker. Many times, the quadriceps, the thigh muscle that straightens your knee, will be difficult to “turn on”. This weakness is normal. As soon after surgery as you are able, practice trying to turn on this muscle and holding tension in the muscle for a few seconds. With your leg in a straightened position, tighten the thigh muscle by pushing the back of your knee into the surface below. This will help your leg to become stronger and improve your ability to walk. Other exercises your therapist may assign are:

Long arc quad: sit in a chair and straighten your knee
Heel slides: lay on your back or sit in a chair and drag your foot backwards to bend your knee as much as possible
Heel raises: standing on both legs, lift your heels off the ground and lower them back down
Hamstring stretches
Calf stretches

Follow the directions of your physical therapist and do the exercises he or she tells you to do.

Time to Recovery

With help from your physical therapist and guidance from your doctor you will regain the flexibility and strength in your knee and will be able to return to most or all the activities you enjoy. It is normal to continue to have swelling for several months. Recovery times vary based on the person, but most people return to their full activity in 10 to 16 weeks after a total knee replacement. If you had a partial knee replacement, recovery time is usually a bit shorter. By six months to one year your knee should feel nearly normal.

You’ve just had knee replacement surgery. Your doctor fixed what was wrong, but initially you’ll still feel a bit of pain and stiffness. Now that the surgical procedure is done, it’s your turn to make sure the surgery is a complete success. That means working to restore strength and mobility to your knee.

At the Hospital

The process of rehabbing begins the day after surgery. You’ll be up on your feet, probably with the help of a cane, crutches, parallel bars, or a walker. You will meet with a physical therapist who will walk you through a series of exercises to improve movement and increase the blood flow to your legs and feet. That’s important because it prevents blood from clotting.

Your physical therapist will also show you how to get in and out of bed, and how to use the crutches or the walker. A nurse or occupational therapist will show you the best way to dress, bathe, and use the toilet.

Your knee will get stronger as you keep moving. Your therapist may ask you to walk up and down the hospital corridor or outside. They may assist you in climbing stairs. By the time you’re ready to go home, you should be able to bend your knee at a 90-degree angle, bathe and dress on your own, and only use walking aids sparingly.

Your doctor and physical therapist will lay out a series of exercises you should do when you are about to be discharged. Here are some exercise goals they likely will set for you:

Walk for short periods -- first inside your house, then outside -- to increase mobility.
Slowly climb stairs, do chores, and work on other everyday activities.
Continue to do the knee-strengthening exercises that you learned from the hospital’s physical therapist.

At Rehab

Once you leave the hospital, you might move into a rehab facility. At rehab, a team of nurses, physical therapists, and occupational therapists, among others, will put together a program based on your condition and health. In addition to making you stronger, the staff will help you manage any pain you might have. They’ll also show you how to care for yourself when you go home.

At Home

Some patients decide to rehab at home. For many, that might not be a bad idea. Studies show that patients who receive physical therapy at home do as well as those who go to an in-patient facility.

What exercises you do and how long you do them depends on your age and your overall health. The length of time you spend rehabbing your knee -- as an inpatient or outpatient -- will vary. Expect to work with a physical therapist for at least a few weeks after your surgery. Most patients can take care of themselves within 3 to 6 weeks.

Exercises You Should Do

What can you expect from exercising? For one thing, walking is important. Doctors recommend walking 20 to 30 minutes two or three times a day. The goal is not only to strengthen the knee, but to slow the development of scar tissue that can reduce your range of motion. Other exercises include:

Leg lifts: These involve straightening your knee on a bed and tightening your thigh muscles. You then lift your legs off the bed several inches and hold them in that position from 5 to 10 seconds and then lower them slowly.
Ankle pumps: Lie on your bed with your ankles hanging off the end. Next, move your foot back and forth. This will strengthen calf muscles and improve circulation in your legs.
Short-arc quads: Your quadriceps are a group of muscles that control your knee joint. You can exercise them by lying on your back with your legs extended. Put a pillow under your operated leg. Lift the heel of your operated leg off the bed. Hold for five seconds. Try to do one set of 10 repetitions three times a day.
Straight leg raises: Just lie on your back and raise one leg at a time, holding it in the air for 5 seconds. Do one set of 10 reps three times a day.

There are many other exercises that will build up strength in your leg. Your physical therapist can help you with them. In the end, the pain you once experienced will be greatly reduced. You’ll be able to do most things that you’ve done in the past before your knee became damaged.

How long does it take to walk normally after knee replacement?

Most patients can start walking while still in the hospital. Walking helps deliver important nutrients to your knee to help you heal and recover. You can expect to use a walker for the first couple of weeks. Most patients can walk on their own roughly four to eight weeks after knee replacement.

How many weeks of PT for total knee replacement?

Of course, this will vary from patient to patient, depending upon your individual situation. However, in general, you can expect around 3 to 4 weeks of formal physical therapy from our experts.

How long does pain and stiffness last after knee replacement?

Most people fully recover from knee replacement surgery in about six months. There may be a small amount of pain and soreness for the duration of the healing process, but this is normal. If you find yourself in severe pain after knee replacement surgery, call your doctor.

How much physical therapy is needed for a knee replacement?

But PT after knee surgery will make you stronger. You can expect to do 20-30 minutes of PT two or three times a day. You also may need to walk for half an hour at least a couple of times daily.