Rehabilitation training for going up and down stairs can be performed after knee joint, but it is necessary to master the correct way.
Patients can carry out preparatory training for going up and down stairs in 2~4 weeks after surgery to exercise the muscle strength around the joint and increase the joint mobility, so as to prepare for the training of going up and down stairs.
4 weeks after the operation, when the active knee flexion angle reaches 60 degrees, you can carry out 10cm stair training; 6~8 weeks after the operation, when the active knee flexion angle reaches 80 degrees, you can carry out 20cm stair training; 6~8 weeks after the operation, when the active knee flexion angle reaches 120 degrees, you can carry out down stair training.
Note that when going up the stairs, the healthy side goes up first and the affected side goes up, then the healthy side goes down the stairs backward first and the affected side goes down. Then you can progress to the affected side going up first and the healthy side going up again.
When descending stairs, the healthy side bends the knee and the affected side slowly points the toe forward, then transitions to a full foot landing, followed by the healthy side going down again. When the muscle strength of the affected side has recovered to about the same level as that of the healthy side, you can gradually try the healthy side to go down first and the affected side to follow. To prevent over-rotation of the pelvis, you can hold on to a wall to maintain balance.
As the training of walking up and down the stairs may cause accidents such as falls, it is recommended that a family member be present during the training process and follow the doctor’s instructions to avoid injuries caused by improper operation.