When it comes to restoring motion in your knee, knee replacement surgery is only part of the battle. The other part is your rehabilitation. That’s why it’s so important to have a positive mindset and to approach your rehab as a challenge you can meet. Here are some basics for you to keep in mind while you’re going through your rehab and recovery.
Take It One Small Step at a Time
Knee replacement surgery takes a few hours. Rehabilitation can take from six months to a year. Don’t let this scare you away! Just take things one small step at a time. Remember, you have made a commitment to yourself and to a more active life. You will be able to once again enjoy the things you used to like doing. Reaching that goal is going to take some work, but it’s going to be well worth your while. And you should know that the vast majority of people who have had knee replacement surgery are happy with the results
Set Goals
Setting goals often helps people through rehabilitation after knee replacement surgery. It’s okay to have larger goals, like “I want to ride my bicycle again,” but it’s more helpful to have smaller goals, ones you can accomplish sooner. For example, if you walked one block today, make your goal walking two blocks by next week. When that goal is accomplished, you can set another goal. These mini-milestones in your recovery will help you see your progress and allow you to keep pushing yourself toward your larger goals.
Commit to Your Program
During your recovery, it’s important to listen to your physical therapist and to do the exercises they tell you to do, as often as they tell you to do them. But remember, you’re doing these exercises for yourself and your recovery, not to make your physical therapist happy. If you feel that you can do more exercise than your physical therapist is telling you to do, discuss this with them. The same thing goes if you want to do other exercises in addition to the ones you are told to do.
Eventually your physical therapy sessions will come to an end, and it will be up to you to carry on by yourself, through your recovery and beyond. It’s important to recognise how important exercise is for your knee, and your all-around health. Continuing to exercise is critical for continuing good health.
