Information About Knee Replacement Surgery for Patients and Their
Families
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Partial Knee
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Total Knee Replacement
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What to Expect on Surgery Day |
Post Operative Care |
Knee Rehabilitation
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Non-Surgical Alternatives |
Life After Knee Replacement
Life after Knee Replacement Surgery
Knee Condition and Mobility
Once you’ve had knee replacement surgery and completed rehab, your knee should
have a range of motion of 100-120 degrees, sufficient for all your daily tasks
such as walking and climbing stairs.
Thanks to your new knee, you will be able to do many of the activities you did
before your knee surgery, but with little or no pain. Most people with total
knees can do recreational walking, swimming, golf, driving, light hiking,
recreational biking, ballroom dancing and stair climbing without difficulty.
Activities to Avoid
Even though your activity level is likely to increase, a knee replacement
surgery means that high-demand or high-impact activities must be avoided. You
should definitely avoid running or jogging, contact sports, jumping sports, and
high impact aerobics.
You should also try to avoid vigorous walking or hiking, skiing, tennis,
repetitive lifting exceeding 50 pounds, and repetitive aerobic stair climbing.
The safest aerobic exercise is biking (stationary or traditional) because it
places very little stress on the knee joint
How Long Your Implant Should Last
The average total knee currently lasts 10-15 years before the components wear
out. In some cases, worn components can be easily switched out for new ones,
but revision surgery is always an experience doctors and patients want to avoid
if at all possible.
Knee surgery has great potential to improve your quality of life and ensure
that you can remain active and vital.