Three downsides to not doing post-knee surgery therapy

Post-Knee Surgery Physical Therapy

The knee is one of the most mobile joints in the body, and its structures tend to wear out over time. If the wearing starts to cause you a lot of pain, you may opt to have knee surgery, and this could be the most effective decision for you. But you don’t want to follow this good decision with one to not do physical therapy after your knee surgery, because not doing this therapy can have several negative consequences for you. 

  1. Not getting up to move as much

Not doing physical therapy after knee surgery could mean you’re not moving your knee as much as you should be. It is common practice to try to get patients up and moving as soon as possible after their knee surgery. This is often easy to do while they’re in the hospital, but it becomes harder to do once they go home. Many people will even stop moving around at all once they go home, because it seems logical to not move when moving causes pain. In reality, this is exactly the wrong thing to do. Not moving the knee enough can actually cause knee-supporting muscles to tense up, and the increased tension can cause more pain in your knee. 

  1. Moving too much

On the other end of the spectrum, it is possible to move your knee too much after surgery. This is even move likely to happen if you don’t do physical therapy after knee surgery. Rest is one of the most important parts of the healing process. If you start moving around too much, your knee may not be getting the rest it needs to heal after surgery. Doing too much movement is something a physical therapist can caution you against, and they can also help you build an at-home exercise plan that balances rest and movement. However, you won’t get these benefits if you decide to avoid therapy after your surgery. 

  1. Not doing the most effective exercises

Patients who elect not to do physical therapy after knee surgery can also miss out on learning the most effective recovery exercises. Effective physical therapy plans tend to start out with isometric type exercises, and they can include other passive therapies like dry needling. As you body heals, your therapist can gradually increase the intensity of the recovery exercises. They can also show you how to do the exercises in the most effective way. This is important to faster healing, and it can also keep you from doing exercises incorrectly and reinjuring the knee. 

Let SSOR help you with physical therapy after knee surgery

SSOR has three clinics outside the Kansas City, Kansas, area that offer post-knee surgery physical therapy. Our clinics also offer complimentary screenings to help you learn where your knee is in its healing process. We’ll use the information gathered during your screening to build you a personalized treatment plan, and some therapy techniques used in your plan may include: 

Are you ready to ensure that your knee recovery is faster and more effective? Contact us today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.