The Importance of Physical Therapy After a Knee Surgery

It’s no denying that undergoing a knife for knee pain treatment or gradual wear and tear is scary and frightening, but what’s scarier is the thought of being unable to use your knee after the surgery.

During surgery such as knee replacement surgery, your knee joint experience trauma due to which your knee components lose their strength, making it difficult for you to fully use your knee for quite some time after the surgery.

Thankfully, this won’t be the case with physical therapy (which is normally a part of your treatment plan). In fact, with physical therapy, you can recover from surgery and regain your mobility faster. Let’s talk about how physical therapy can help you recover from knee surgery and where you can go for excellent knee surgery in Wooster, OH.

Physical Therapy After Knee Surgery

The importance of physical therapy after a surgical procedure can be comprehended from the fact that shortly after the knee surgery, you will meet a physical therapist who will show you how to position your knee to reduce swelling and pain.

They will also move your leg to improve blood flow and prevent blood clot formation.

Depending on your surgical procedure, you will either stay in the hospital for 3 to 10 days or will be discharged following the procedure. Either way, your physical therapist will teach you some exercises that will enable you to regain the normal function of your knee quickly.

The following explains why doing physical therapy exercises is important after knee surgery.

Benefit #1 Physical Therapy Prevents Development of Scar Tissues

After knee surgery, scar tissues naturally build up inside your knee, causing stiffness and pain.

The physical therapy plan after the surgery includes scar mobilization that helps prevent scar tissue formation and breaks up already-developed scar tissues.

Furthermore, active exercises (where you move the knee yourself using your leg strength), passive exercises (where the therapist moves the knee), and actively assisted exercises are included in your physical therapy plan.

Benefit #2 Physical Therapy Helps Restore Mobility

Post-op physical therapy will include exercises that will help you regain the range of motion of your knee and restore knee mobility so that your transition from rest to performing daily activities is easy.

What’s more? The physical therapy plan will also include motor function training to help you regain your normal gait while improving your balance.

Benefit #3 Physical Therapy Strengthen Your Knee Joint

Due to the trauma that your knee joint bears during surgery, the knee becomes very weak and barely able to hold weight. So, to strengthen your knee, your physical therapist will use various mobilities, including neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES), to strengthen the muscles and improve performance.

Your physical therapist may also include high-intensity training and exercise programs in your post-op physical therapy plan to improve your knee function.

Physical Therapy in Wooster, OH

Here at Wooster Community Hospital, we have highly trained and skilled physical therapists who are always ready to provide you with the care you need for your musculoskeletal issues. Our therapists will work around your physical limitation and time schedules to create a physical therapy program that delivers the best possible outcome.

To know more about our services or schedule a consultation, call us today at  (330) 202-3300 or fill out our online appointment request form now.