Physical therapy (also known as physiotherapy) is designed to help improve, maintain, and promote
health. It uses a wide range of techniques and approaches to do this and is especially useful in helping to
restore function and mobility after injury. Because of this, you will almost always be referred to a physical
therapist after knee surgery, So what can physical therapists do to help you after knee surgery? They
actually perform a few different roles to help you in your recovery.
During your inpatient stay
You will probably see your physical therapist a couple of times a day while you are in the hospital. They
will be assessing how well your knee is moving, how safely you can get in and out of bed, and how much
weight you can place on your foot while walking with an aid. They could also give you some range of
motion exercises as well as some strengthening exercises for your leg muscles.
Your physical therapist can also be involved in signing off on you being able to safely go home, and this
will be based on how safely you can move around.
Once you go home
You will continue to see a physical therapist after you go home. The first visit could either be at your
home or the physical therapy gym. Your physical therapist will go through a series of strength assessments to see
where you are now with your mobility and pain levels, and these can all be referred back to later once the
treatment is complete.
They will also use other assessments, including:
- medical history
- how well you can complete daily tasks
- posture assessment, including alignment of your spine and other joints
- examination of the surgical area
- gait analysis - observing how you walk
- range of motion assessment - how far you can move your knee forwards and backward and how the kneecap moves around
Once your physical therapist has assessed where you are now with your knee and your ability to function,
they will be able to set out a treatment plan for you. The aim is for you to be able to get back to being able
to perform everyday tasks, reduce your pain, and improve your mobility.
Physical therapy treatment
Physical therapy has a wide range of treatments at its disposal to help you to get back on your feet.
These can include treatments that are aimed specifically at reducing your pain, as well as treatments that
are focused on exercising and strengthening your knee. These can include:
Pain
- Ice and heat therapy
- Swelling control
- Electrical stimulation
- Aquatic therapy
Exercise
- Biofeedback
- Progressive resistive training
- Progressive exercise
- Closed kinetic chain exercises
- Proprioceptive exercises
Physical therapy will likely be an important part of your recovery from knee surgery. Your physical
therapist will help you to improve your mobility and reduce your pain, improving your quality of life and
enabling you to get back to daily life. Your treatment plan will include measures that can help to reduce
your pain, as well as measures that will help you to strengthen and improve the function of your knee and
leg. They will assess you on a regular basis to check your progress.