Exercises to strengthen the knee after surgery
The purpose of exercises to strengthen the muscles in the legs after knee surgery is to enable full alignment of the knee and bending to at least 90 degrees; increasing the range of movement will help in performing routine activities such as walking, climbing and walking down stairs.
Rehabilitation and physiotherapy exercises from the first to the third day after knee surgery:
General recommendations for practice: Practice at least twice a day for about 15 minutes in each session.
Exercise 1: Moving the feet and ankles to improve blood flow
- Lying on your back or sitting in bed, while keeping your legs straight,
move your ankles back and forth as far as possible. - Emphases: Do this exercise when your knees are straight, and you feel
the stretch of the calf and the hamstring muscles. - Recommended frequency: it is advisable that this exercise is
performed every 20 minutes during all waking hours.
- Position: Lying in bed on your back when your toes point to the ceiling.
- Emphases: contracting the quadriceps by pushing the back of the knee towards the bed and static-holding this position for five seconds.
- Repetitions: 10 times.
Exercise 3: Active strengthening of the quadriceps.
- Position: sitting on the bed.
- Aids: pace a rolled-up towel under your knee.
- Emphases: lift the foot off the bed by contracting the quadriceps muscle, making sure the knee is attached to the rolled-up towel at all times, and does not rise in the air.
- An easier exercise with a sheet: lift the foot by contracting the quadriceps and stretching the sheet with your hands.
- In both options, hold the normal in the air for five seconds and then slowly lower your leg.
- Repetitions: 10 times.
Exercise 4: Lifting the leg while straight.
- Position: lying in bed with straight legs.
- Action: Squeeze the quadriceps muscle and hold the leg straight.
- Lift each leg about 20-30 inches above the bed. Hold the leg in the air for five seconds, and then lower it slowly.
- Repetitions: 10 times.
Exercises after knee surgery from the third day onwards:
A few days after the operation it is important to reduce the load on the joint, so the following exercises are designed to help you practice daily activities correctly.
- Continue the first four exercises and add three more.
Exercise 5: bending of the knee while standing
- Position: standing while the hands are supported by a table or chair rest.
- Emphases for movement: bend the knee when the heel is in the air, lowering the heel to the floor and returning to a straight knee position.
Hold this position for ten seconds. - Repetitions: 5 times.
Exercise 6: Getting up from sitting position to a standing one.
- Initial position: sitting in a chair with handles.
- Emphases: keep your knees bent when your feet are fully on the floor.
- Motion: get up to a full standing position
- Repetitions: 10 times.
Exercise 7: going up and down a step
- Position: standing at the bottom of a step and holding the railing.
- Movement: step up with the leg bent and then step back down.
- Repetitions: 10 times.
After exercising
Pain symptoms and slight swelling of the knee may occur after exercising,
and can be alleviated with two actions:
- Lift the leg on two pillows (avoid placing a pillow directly under the knee, but rather, under the calf and ankle).
- Cool the knee with ice, and wrap it in a towel for 10 minutes every two hours throughout the day.
Illustrations by Limor Shaked
Sunnybrook’s Holland Orthopaedic & Arthritic Centre and Mount Sinai Hospital has developed part of this material and this has been edited by Dr. Michael Drexler. Permission to add this link to my website has been granted by Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre’s and Mount Sinai Hospital Guides for Patients Having Hip or Knee Replacement.
