Two exercises you’ll miss without post-knee surgery therapy

Physical therapy is a common form of post-surgical rehab, and it has been shown to help patients recovering from knee surgery. However, some people may choose to go without physical therapy after their knee surgery. This decision can lead to many issues like increased knee pain and a longer recovery. Also, it denies you the opportunity to learn therapy exercises that can benefit your rehabilitation. 

1. Hamstring contraction

One type of exercise you won’t find out about if you avoid going to post-knee surgery physical therapy is isometric exercises. This type of exercise involves only contracting the muscle and not moving the joint it’s attached to. The lack of movement is helpful for patients in the initial stage of knee surgery recovery, and isometric exercises can help keep you from losing strength in knee-supporting muscles. 

The hamstring contraction is an example of an isometric exercise you might be shown in post-surgical therapy. You can start this exercise by either sitting or lying down with the affected knee bent at about a 10-degree angle. Then, keep your feet flat on the floor while focusing on contracting the hamstring. Hold the contraction for three to five seconds before you relax. You’ll want to continue repeating these steps until you’ve completed 10 repetitions, and you can repeat the exercise several times per day to increase its benefits. 

2. Supine knee extension

As your knee recovery progresses, your therapist can start to show you more complex exercises. Some of these exercises will be designed to help rebuild the strength of your knee muscles. Again, you may not find out about these exercises at all if you don’t do physical therapy after knee surgery. 

One fantastic example of a beneficial strengthening exercise you could miss out on is the supine knee extension. Starting this exercise will involve lying down on the floor or bed, and you’ll need to place a rolled-up towel under the affected knee. Once you’re in this starting position, slowly raise your lower leg until your knee is straight. Hold this position for about five seconds, and then you can slowly lower your leg back to the starting position. After each repetition, rest your leg for a few seconds before repeating these steps. You should try to repeat them until you’ve completed 10 total repetitions. 

Advent Physical Therapy offers post-knee surgery rehabilitation services

At Advent Physical Therapy, our team believes in the power of physical therapy, and one of the big mistakes we see some people make is not doing physical therapy after knee surgery. To help you avoid this mistake, our team offers free screenings to get your therapy process started. We also create individualized treatment plans for every patient, and these plans can include evidence-based therapy methods like: 

• Kinesiotherapy
• Manual therapy
• Cupping
• Gait training

Take the next step to get our help with your post-knee surgery recovery. Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.