6 Weeks After Your Surgery

Working with Your Physical Therapist:

What to Expect

At this point you may no longer need to use an assistive device such as a walker or crutches. Your physical therapist will give you a series of exercises to do at home. If you are consistent with your physical therapy, you should be able to resume activities such as returning to work, driving, shopping, housekeeping and intimate relations (when you feel comfortable) after six weeks.

What to Keep in Mind

Physical therapy will be challenging after knee replacement surgery. It is very important, however, to take your therapy seriously because the more diligent you are during this phase of recovery, the quicker you will regain mobility and return to your daily activities. If discomfort during your therapy session is a problem, talk to your therapist about coordinating pain medication and therapy.

Recovery and Rehabilitation Basics

Approaching your recovery with a positive attitude is important. Here are some tips to help you keep the right mindset.

TIPS:

When it comes to regaining knee function, the surgery is only part of the solution. The other part is your rehabilitation. It's important to have a positive mindset and approach your rehabilitation as a challenge you can meet. Here are some basics for you to keep in mind while you're going through your rehabilitation and recovery.

Take One Small Step at a Time

Knee replacement surgery takes a few hours. Rehabilitation can take from a few months to a year. Don't let this scare you! Just take things one small step at a time. Remember, you have made a commitment to yourself and regaining your mobility. Reaching this goal is going to take some work, but it's going to be well worth your while.

Set Goals

Setting goals often helps people through rehabilitation after knee replacement surgery. It's okay to have longer-term goals, like "I want to ride my bicycle again," but it's more helpful to have smaller goals, ones you can accomplish sooner. For example, if you walked one block today, make your goal to walk two blocks by next week. When that goal is accomplished, you can set another goal. These mini-milestones during your recovery will help you track your progress and allow you to keep pushing yourself toward your longer-term goals. Remember that you should always check with your surgeon and/or physical therapist before increasing your activity level.

Commit to Your Program

During your recovery, it's important that you listen to your physical therapist(s) and do the exercises they tell you to do, as often as they tell you to do them. Remember that you're doing these exercises for you and your recovery, not for anyone else. If you feel you can do more exercise than your physical therapist is telling you to do, discuss this with him or her. The same thing goes if you want to do other exercises in addition to the ones you are told to do.

Eventually your physical therapy sessions will come to an end, and it will be up to you to continue your recovery process on your own. It's important to recognize how important exercise is for your knee and your all-around health.

Last Updated: 03/28/2007