What is a Total Knee Replacement (TKR)?
A total knee replacement (TKR)/total knee arthroplasty (TKA) involves removing the ends of the bones at the knee joint (the tibia, sometimes called “shin bone”) and the femur (thigh bone) and replacing them with artificial parts. Replacement parts consist of a metal cap placed on the end of the femur and a plastic cap placed on the top of the shin bone. Sometimes, a plastic insert is used to replace the kneecap.
How Can a Physical Therapist Help Before & After Surgery?
Before Your Surgery (“Pre-op Conditioning”)
The better physical shape you are in before a TKR surgery, the better your results will be afterward (especially in the short term). Before surgery, your physical therapist will teach you exercises and how to walk with assistance after your operation. Your therapist will also discuss precautions and home adaptations, such as removing loose rugs or strategically placing a chair so that you can sit instead of squatting to get something out of a low cabinet. It’s always easier to make these modifications before you have TKR surgery.
If you smoke, quit! That will help improve your healing after surgery. If you are overweight, focus on weight loss before surgery. Losing excess body weight will help you recover more quickly and improve your function and overall results following surgery.
Immediately Following Your Surgery
With a TKR, you likely will stay in the hospital for 2 or 3 days following your surgery. If you have other medical conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease, you might need to stay an additional few days. If you are like most patients, you will be told to put as much weight as comfortable, when standing, on the leg that had surgery. While you are in the hospital, a physical therapist will:
- Show you how to practice walking with a walker or crutches
- Teach you how to safely get in and out of bed or a chair
- Help you continue to do the flexibility and strengthening exercises that you learned before your surgery
During this period, it’s important to control the swelling in your knee and help your incision heal. Your physical therapist may perform electrical stimulation, where electrodes are placed on the skin to stimulate the nerves around the knee to help reduce pain and swelling and promote healing.
Your therapist may also apply cold to the knee to help decrease swelling and may recommend that you wear support stockings.
As You Begin to Recover
Proper rehabilitation after a TKR is essential to your recovery. Your physical therapist will help you regain much of your knee range of motion as soon as possible. At this point, you might be walking with a cane or with one crutch.
Your physical therapist can speed up (or “hasten”) your return to activity and help make your new knee better than the old one! Your therapist will tailor range-of-motion exercises, progressive muscle-strengthening exercises, body awareness and balance training, and activity-specific training to your needs.
Occasional swelling of the knee joint and lower leg can occur for up to 3 months after surgery. To help relieve swelling, you can wear support stockings, apply a cold pack, and elevate your lower leg on a pillow when sitting or lying down.
How Can Physical Therapy Help?
Your physical therapist can help ensure that your TKR will be successful by providing evaluation and treatment before and after surgery.
The timeline for returning to leisure or sports activities varies from person to person; your therapist will estimate yours based on your specific condition.
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Where Can You Find Us?
(941) 744-9046
2601 Manatee Avenue West Ste E Bradenton, FL 34205
