What to expect if you have no physical therapy after knee replacement surgery

No Physical Therapy After Knee Replacement

Pain and loss of function from severe osteoarthritis. Severe bone fractures in the knee. These are both reasons why someone might choose to have a total knee replacement. 

Total knee replacements involve removing the damaged cartilage and bone and replacing them with an implant. This surgery is a common one in the U.S. In fact, every year there are about 600,000 knee replacements performed on Americans. These surgeries also have a high success rate, since research shows that 82% of implants are still functioning after 25 years. 

However, there are issues that patients can face after knee surgery. Choosing to do no physical therapy after a knee replacement can make post-surgical problems more likely.  

Three problems not doing post-knee replacement physical therapy can lead to

There are three main issues that patients can face after total knee replacements. The likelihood of developing them can increase if you decide not to do physical therapy after your knee replacement. The issues you’re more likely to face include: 

  1. Chronic pain — Most patients experience pain after a knee replacement. But some patients continue to experience pain long after their surgery is over. In fact, researchers report that about 20% of patients are still feeling moderate to severe knee pain up to five years after their knee replacement. 
  1. Long-term range-of-motion loss — As with pain, it’s normal to lose some knee range of motion (ROM) while your knee heals after a knee replacement. Yet there is a chance that this ROM loss can continue far longer than it should. One medical study reveals that up to 34% of patients have long-term ROM loss after their knee replacement. 
  1. Extended decreases in knee function — Your knee replacement is intended to restore function. However, this surgery might not completely restore your knee function. It can even lead to a slight decrease in function if there are healing complications. A study shows that up to 30% of the knee replacement patients surveyed still had reduced function after their surgery.

Excel PT can help you avoid the complications of not doing physical therapy after knee surgery 

Although these complications can affect any patient after a knee replacement, your risk of developing them can be higher if you don’t do physical therapy after your knee replacement. Our Excel Sports & Physical Therapy physical therapists can help you by developing a post-surgical rehab plan designed to help you avoid complications like those above. 

Our team will start by recommending that you have pre-surgical rehab. This type of therapy is designed to prepare your body for surgery. It can also help make your recovery process smoother. Additionally, we can evaluate your knee after surgery to determine what issues need to be addressed. Then, our physical therapists can build you a personalized rehab plan that may include therapy methods like: 

Contact our team today for more information about our pre- and post-surgical rehab services or to schedule your initial appointment.