New Knees Please

A startling statistic came to me via email a couple weeks back.  Did you know that 1 out of every 50 people now has an artificial knee?  It is hard to imagine, but with my recent exposure to the senior population, I  think it is safe to say that the numbers might be 1 out of every 25 for those 75 years and up.

When treatments to manage knee pain fail to be effective, knee replacement surgery is often pursued.  Typically, knee replacement falls into two different categories.  There is total knee replacement, and partial knee replacement. 

• Total knee replacement consists of three components: a femoral component, the tibial component, and the patellar component.  Total knee replacement is often good for individuals suffering from arthritis, or for younger, more active individuals. 
• Partial knee replacement is pursued when only one of the three components are in need of replacement.  If more problems exist, then partial knee replacement is not recommended. 

I have one long-time client that underwent a total knee replacement a couple years back.  I had the opportunity to observe her immediately post-surgery and closely followed her progress until she was cleared to return to regular exercise activity.  Her doctors had her up and out of bed- walking from one side of it to the other, within 24 hours of her surgery.  While at rest, she also had her leg in an automated machine that flexed her knee repetitively with the degree of flexion steadily increased.  She was also a good patient, and did every minute of her prescribed physical therapy and exercise homework for the following six to twelve weeks after surgery.  She had a very successful outcome as a result of good care, and being so diligent with her rehabilitation.

Most knee replacement patients undergo physical therapy for six to twelve weeks, with goals of increasing range of motion, strength and balance to resume regular activities of daily living.  Some may be eligible for clearance to restorative/progressive fitness activities as early as six to eight weeks post-surgery.  It is not unusual for there to be general tightness surrounding the knee, for the patient to experience unusual sensations surrounding the surgery site, and to have balance issues (temporarily) due to restricted movement.  These issues do resolve themselves with more healing and once more normal patterns of activity resume.