The healing process is one of the most difficult when it comes to any kind of surgery. Therefore, it holds true for a knee replacement surgery as well. Ease in mobility may be a tad difficult during the initial stages after the surgery. However, while it is important to get sufficient rest, it is also very crucial that you religiously practice the exercises and stretches that help ease the stiffness in the concerned regions, thus making it easy for you to walk and adapt yourself and your leg to the new environment. However, you must understand the simple fact that you must go slowly initially as too much exercise can do more harm than good. Begin slowly and increase your speed gradually. Given below are some excellent exercise ideas that will help you immensely in your recovery process after a knee replacement surgery.
1.) Lifting your legs in a straight line:
This exercise calls for you to lie flat on your back and keep your hands aligned against your body and legs straight. You then need to lift each leg not more than 6 inches. Once you have that posture, you need to retain it for 10 seconds before slowly retreating. Repeat it with the other leg.
This exercise has a positive effect on the quadriceps, which in turn helps your knee joint. Therefore, your aim is to strengthen this muscle of your leg, so that it helps your knee joint.
2.) Putting mild pressure on your thighs:
This is important especially since squeezing of the quadriceps will make it much stronger. This in turn can be utilized by you to increase your strength especially while walking. To ensure that you perform this exercise in the right manner, all you need to do is lie flat on your back and keep your legs straight. Push both your knees down in way that exerts slight pressure on your thighs. The front area of your thighs will especially feel the pressure and the muscles will tighten. You must not hold this position for more than 5 seconds. Repeating it a maximum of 10 times should be enough. Gradually increase the repetitions.
3.) Working the ankles:
You may not realize it but a knee replacement surgery can add pressure to certain areas of your body that need to be immediately looked after. For instance, the inability to move freely can create a blockage for the blood to circulate in your body freely. This may prevent the circulation of blood to your heart. Therefore, it is important to counter this problem effectively. The best thing that you can do is exercise your ankles, which are known to bring down the swelling by supplying adequate blood to the heart and thus preventing clotting.
For this, all you need to do is ensure that you lie flat with your back touching the floor. Rotate your ankles in a circular motion; both clockwise and anti-clockwise making sure that your toes face the ceiling at all times.
Remember as a precaution, always consult your doctor before trying any new exercises and regimes.
Author’s bio:
Ashley White is a freelance writer and loves to cover health topics, which are informative and help create awareness. She recently interviewed a patient undergoing knee replacement surgery to provide accurate details. She loves to cook and Sunday family barbeques are her favourite.
