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Rehab after joint replacement
rehab after knee replacement · physical therapy after hip replacement · joint replacement rehab · knee replacement exercises
A physical therapist teaches you to move with your new joint: exercises for strength, flexibility, and walking. This helps the joint work better.
After a knee or hip replacement, usually from the first days after surgery.
⏱ Duration: sessions usually last 30 to 60 minutes; the course usually lasts several weeks or months
Be sure to tell your doctor
How to prepare
- Clothes. Loose clothes, shorts or trousers that roll up easily. Steady shoes with a back.
- Pain relief. If your doctor prescribed a painkiller, you may be able to take it before the session. Ask your doctor.
- Support. Bring the crutches or walker you use.
What to bring
- Your discharge papers from surgery
- A list of your medicines
- Comfortable clothes and shoes
- Crutches or a walker
How it goes
- The therapist checks the joint and measures its movement
- You start with a gentle warm-up
- You do exercises to bend and straighten the joint
- Thigh and buttock muscles are strengthened
- You practice walking, stairs, and getting up from a chair
- Sometimes a cold pack is put on the joint at the end
- You get exercises for home
What you'll feel
- A pulling pain during exercises can happen. It should be bearable. You will be told how much is OK
- After the session, tiredness and mild swelling
- Moving gets easier every week
Afterwards
- Do your home exercises every day
- Cold and a raised leg reduce swelling
- After a hip replacement, follow the position limits your doctor gives
- Walk without support when your doctor allows
Contact a doctor straight away if
- Pain and swelling in the calf, or the leg feels hot
- A fever over 38°C (100.4°F), redness, or discharge from the scar
- Sudden pain, or the leg looks shorter or twisted: call emergency services
- Sudden shortness of breath or chest pain: call emergency services
Common questions
How long does recovery take?
Usually the main part takes 6 to 12 weeks, full recovery a few months.
Can I exercise if it hurts?
Mild pain during exercise happens. Strong pain is a reason to stop and tell your therapist.