If you are getting a knee replacement in Oklahoma City, you need to consider what all is involved in treatment. Your knee is a joint you will need throughout your life, so replacing it can be a scary proposition. The good news is that when done well you can have a really great quality of life after surgery.
One thing you need to consider after knee replacement is physical therapy. You only want to replace your knee once, which means you want to make sure the outcome is optimized and that your knee will function to the best of its ability. You might think about it sort of like a car. If your next car purchase were the last one you ever made, you would want the best car you could get, and you would take special care of your car. If your knee replacement is the last one you ever get, you’re going to want to take special care of it, too.
Why Should I get a Knee Replacement?
Pain and loss of function (especially, mobility) are the two primary reasons for a total knee replacement. These may be due to long-term osteoarthritis, or they may be due to injury or other dysfunction of the knee joint.
Regardless of the reason for your pain and lost mobility, when you have a knee replacement, your goal should be to reduce your pain and regain your functioning. You want to get back to doing the things you love doing.
Physical Therapy Before Total Knee Replacement
Whether it has been determined that you will have a total knee replacement, or you are still considering your options, one component of your treatment will be Physical Therapy.
Physical Therapy before your total knee replacement should be considered for 3 reasons
- Pain Reduction: Physical Therapy before total knee replacement has been shown to reduce pain for many people. Even if it doesn’t eliminate pain totally, physical therapy may reduce the challenges to your everyday life that pain produces.
- Improved Function: Physical Therapy before total knee replacement may yield improved function for two different reasons. First, by reducing pain, you are going to be more likely to do the things you want and need to do. Pain can take a lot of joy out of life and that leads to reduced use. The second, Physical Therapy before total knee replacement surgery is going to focus on optimizing your function. Here at FYZICAL Oklahoma City, our physical therapists focus on improved strength and flexibility of your knee joint. Once your strength and flexibility is established, we want you to have the best possible use of your knee. That means optimizing functioning for your lifestyle. Oklahoma City has lots to offer, your physical therapist wants to make sure you can get out and do the things you want to.
- Conservative Care: Physical Therapy is considered “conservative care” when it comes to knee replacement surgery. That doesn’t mean you won’t improve, it means that there is little to no risk with getting physical therapy before your knee replacement surgery. It means that you have a large potential upside by being an active participant in your physical therapy.
When the physical therapists here at FYZICAL Oklahoma City see you before a total knee replacement, they are going to provide you with a home exercise program. And being an active participant at home maximizes the outcomes for our patients.
If you are considering Total Knee Replacement surgery, you should ask your doctor about physical therapy to prepare you for the best possible outcome.
Physical Therapy After Total Knee Replacement
The Physical Therapists here at FYZICAL Oklahoma City know that not everyone with knee pain is going to get better with PT, alone. While physical therapy may reduce pain and improve functioning, many of our patients will need knee replacement surgery at some point.
But Physical Therapy shouldn’t stop after your total knee replacement. In fact, Physical Therapy is just getting started. Following your Total Knee Replacement, there are four reasons why physical therapy is imperative.
- Mobility: Physical Therapy following your total knee replacement should focus on returning your knee mobility. Specifically, during your initial recovery from surgery, the Physical Therapists here at FYZICAL Oklahoma City are going to help you regain knee flexion and extension. Your knee works by bending and extending; following surgery, this is going to be the first step in recovery.
- Strength and Flexibility: Mobility of your knee early is critical, but ultimately you will need strength and flexibility of the muscles around your knee joint to maintain that mobility. During the initial phase of recovery following total knee replacement surgery, you will notice a loss of strength. This is normal, but in order to get back what you lost, you will need to work at it. At FYZICAL Oklahoma City, we focus on strength and flexibility because healthy muscles are strong and flexible. Muscles that are weak (cannot maintain the load) or stiff (cannot stretch) are not going to do you any favors.
- Optimize Functioning: Whether you want to spend time on the ground with your grandkids, hiking in the Wichita Mountains in SW Oklahoma, or just getting up the stairs to see a show at the Civic Center in downtown Oklahoma City, you need your knees to function properly. Your physical therapist can help establish goals that you need to meet before you discharge, so that you can Love Your Life!
- Balance: Your knee is a key component of your ability to balance. Standard Physical Therapy will work to optimize your movements; every PT at FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers of Oklahoma City knows that after knee surgery you are at an increased risk of falling. That is why we use our “Safety Overhead Support” to ensure that we can safely challenge you during your recovery. If balance rehabilitation is not a part of your Physical Therapy after knee replacement surgery, you need to consider your therapy incomplete.
Can Telehealth Physical Therapy be used for Total Hip Replacement Physical Therapy?
Because Oklahoma has patients needing quality Physical Therapy, FYZICAL Oklahoma City made Telehealth Physical Therapy available to our patients in Spring 2020. Whether you are in the panhandle or need Physical Therapy in Oklahoma City, Telehealth has become one component of care for many of our patients.
Fortunately, telehealth physical Therapy is covered by many insurance companies and the PTs at FYZICAL Oklahoma City are well-versed in its use. If you are in need of remote sessions for physical therapy following total knee replacement, we can take care of that for you. Additionally, Physical Therapy following Total knee Replacement has promising results in the literature and we are sure we can help you Love Your Life. If you are worried about COVID-19, the Flu, or just having difficulty traveling to see us, FYZICAL Oklahoma City is prepared to deliver Telehealth Physical Therapy following your Total Kne Replacement.
No matter the reason for your knee pain, if you are ready to Love Your Life, then you're ready to start physical therapy today! Give us a call or schedule your appointment.
-FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers of Oklahoma City
FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers of Oklahoma City provides orthopedic physical therapy in Lakeside, The Village, Nichols Hills and surrounding NW Oklahoma City. Our physical therapists are specially trained to treat all types of pain, movement disorders, and musculoskeletal dysfunction including post-surgical recovery from Total Knee Replacment. Our practitioners take a patient-centered individualized approach that focuses on your health needs. If you are unsure about your pain, or you want to see the FYZICAL Difference for yourself, schedule a free consultation today.
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