Unique features of using the new knee joint
You may feel a little numbness next to the incision and a little stiffness in the operated joint, especially during hyperflexion activities. Improving knee motion is the goal of knee replacement, but it is not easy to regain full motion. After knee arthroplasty, most patients can largely straighten the knee and can walk up and down stairs and sit in and stand up from chairs, while kneeling is uncomfortable but not harmful. Occasionally you may feel a slight metal-on-plastic contact sound when bending the knee or walking; this abnormality will lessen over time. Most patients will feel that this discomfort is nothing compared to the pain and impaired movement they experienced before surgery.
The artificial knee will activate security systems in airports and some buildings, such as alarms, so please tell the security personnel that you have an artificial knee.
After surgery you must be aware of the following.
Take part in light daily activities to maintain the strength and mobility of your new knee; be especially careful not to fall and get injured, as a patient with an artificial knee will have to be reoperated if it breaks again; tell your doctor that you have an artificial knee when you go to the dentist, and take antibiotics before each oral surgery; apply antibiotics promptly if you have infections elsewhere in your body, such as tonsillitis or ringworm infections, because after surgery artificial knee joint is susceptible to waves; see your orthopedic surgeon frequently for regular follow-up examinations and x-rays.
Exercise and activity instruction
Regular exercise will help restore mobility and strength to the knee joint so that you can gradually perform your daily activities and get the best results from your surgery. Your orthopedic surgeon or physical therapist will recommend 20-30 minutes of exercise 2-3 times per day and 30 minutes of walking 2-3 times per day. The following instructions will give you a better understanding of the exercise routine and methods, remembering to do so under the guidance of your physiotherapist or orthopedic surgeon.
Precautions before rehabilitation exercise are.
1. Avoid excessive and violent stress on the knee joint. It is best to complete the exercises early in the morning to prepare for daytime activities.
2. Taking pain medication 30 minutes before the exercise will help.
3.Master regular breathing during practice, exhale during activity, inhale during rest, do not hold your breath.
4.It varies from person to person and from disease to disease. If the prescribed indicators can not be completed, can be completed until you think comfortable can, step by step.
5. think about relaxing the muscles between each repetition, relaxation is important.
There will be some feeling after completing the exercise, if the discomfort is more than 2 hours, you should consider reducing the amount of exercise or changing the exercise; if there is a problem of surgical incision during the exercise, stop immediately and notify the doctor. You may experience pain and swelling in the affected limb after exercise activities. You may apply cold packs wrapped in towels and elevate the affected limb.
Early post-operative exercises (within 3 days after surgery)
You may feel discomfort at first, but these exercises will speed up your recovery and significantly reduce post-operative pain.
1.Quadriceps exercise: lie on your back, toes up, use straight leg action, then tighten the thigh muscles so that the knee joint is close to the bed, maintain 5-10 seconds, relax, so that you can do 10 times in 2 minutes, until your thighs feel tired, rest for 1 minute and then repeat.
2, straight leg high exercise: put the leg straight on the bed, tighten the thigh muscles, as for quadriceps exercise, in this position, lift the leg 10 centimeters high, maintain 5-10 seconds, slowly put down, repeat this action until the thighs feel fatigue. You can do the straight leg raise exercise in a seated position, with the knee fully extended, contracting your thigh muscles completely without support. Repeat the above actions, can be done in stages, until the recovery of thigh strength.
3.Ankle pump: You can start in the wake-up room, lying on your back, relying on your calf muscles, pressing your foot downward and then bending it upward for 2-3 minutes each time, 10 times per hour, until you have fully recovered and the swelling of your entire calf and ankle has subsided.
4, knee extension action: lying on your back, under the heel, put a small pad or small pillow, so that the heel can be suspended, contract your thighs, completely straighten the knee, and try to put the back of the knee contact the bed, maintain 10-15 seconds, repeatedly until the thighs feel fatigue.
5, supine knee flexion exercise: supine, slide the soles of the feet on the bed, so that the knee bends until it can no longer bend, in the most curved position, maintain 5-10 seconds, repeat several times until the leg feels fatigue or the knee can be fully flexed.
6, seated support under the knee bending exercise: sitting next to the bed or sitting on the chair, so that the thighs have to rely on, put the healthy foot in the heel of the surgical foot for support, slowly bend the knee until the most curved. Then maintain 5-10 seconds, repeat several times until the leg feels fatigue or the knee can be fully bent.
7. Sitting knee exercise without support: sit next to the bed or in a chair and try to bend the knee until the foot can be placed on the floor. Put the foot lightly on the ground, lean your upper body forward as much as possible to increase the degree of bending knee to maintain 5-10 seconds, then straighten the knee, repeat several times until the leg feels fatigue, or the knee can be bent.
Early activities
These early activities will help you recover and assist you in regaining knee strength and mobility.
Walking: Proper walking is the best way to help your knee recover, and your doctor will tell you how much weight to put on the affected limb.
Going up and down stairs: Going up and down stairs requires strength and conditioning. At first you will need to use handrails to support you, one step at a time, going up on the healthy foot first and down on the affected foot first, remembering “up on the healthy foot, down on the affected foot”.
Further exercises and activities
1.Standing knee flexion exercise: after standing upright with the help of a walker or crutches, flex the knee to the limit of what you can do, then maintain it for 5-10 seconds, then straighten the knee, first make the foot follow the ground, then flex it again, repeat several times until fatigue.
2, with support of the knee flexion exercise: supine position, a towel wrapped around the front of the ankle, the ends backward, grabbed by both hands, bending the knee gradually and gently pull the towel tight, pull backward, to help bend the knee degree, maintain 5-10 seconds, repeat several times until fatigue.
3.Knee exercise with resistance: You can add a little weight to the ankle and then do the above exercise, usually 4-6 weeks after surgery, starting with 1-2 pounds of weight (such as a sandbag) and gradually increasing the weight until you regain strength.
4.Use the exercise bike seat: this method of exercise will help your muscles and knee movement to increase. Adjust the seat position until the knee extension position when your foot just reach and pedal feet. Pedal backwards first, and then forward when you feel comfortable with the backwards movement. When you feel a little stronger, then increase the pedal resistance, 2 times a day, each time to step forward 15 minutes, gradually increasing to 3-4 times a day, each time 20-30 minutes.
5.Knee exercise against the wall: you can back against the wall, gradually slide down until the knee can be flexed, then stand, repeat the action, 5-10 times each time, 2 times a day.
Post-operative follow-up
After the artificial knee replacement, we believe that you have established a close relationship with the surgeon, and the ideal recovery of the artificial knee function after your active rehabilitation exercise will not only enable you to enjoy a good life again, but also enable the surgeon to enjoy the pleasure of obtaining results after hard work, and more importantly, the surgeon can summarize the successful experience and failure lessons from it, and continuously improve their academic and technical level The best way to achieve this is to follow up with the patient. The best way to achieve this is to follow up, especially at 6 weeks and 3 months after surgery.