An article published by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons reports some interesting information about knee surgeries. One of these interesting tidbits is that there are more than 600,000 total knee replacement surgeries being performed per year in the U.S. If you have recently had knee surgery, you may have been encouraged to seek physical therapy post-surgery. However, some people might feel like physical therapy is a waste of time. In fact, there are several issues that can plague you if you avoid physical therapy after knee surgery.
- Longer recovery time
One issue you can run into if your don’t do physical therapy after knee surgery is your recovery can take longer. Knee surgery can lead to muscle weakness if patients aren’t moving around, and without physical therapy, you might not be moving the knee enough. Also, surgery on the knee can lead to nerve issues that make it harder to move the knee. Physical therapists can help increase knee muscle strength, and they can also show you how to do exercises that can help promote normal nerve function. By helping you deal with these issues, physical therapy can help you recover more rapidly after your surgery.
- Greater post-surgical pain
After you have knee surgery, there is going to be some pain, but not doing physical therapy after knee surgery can cause you to have more pain. Many people instinctively feel that moving their knee less after surgery is the best way to decrease pain. However, this can actually have the opposite effect. Lack of movement leads to tight muscles, and tight muscles put more tension on the knee. In turn, this increased tension can cause you to have more post-surgical knee pain.
- Lower joint mobility
Improving joint mobility is one of the main goals of knee surgery, but not doing physical therapy after knee surgery might mean a longer road to reach this goal. Again, the issue is that not moving your knee in therapeutic ways causes joint-supporting muscles to tighten. The tightness of your muscles can make it harder to bend and flex your knee, and if this tightness isn’t addressed, it could mean your knee is never as mobile as you want it to be after surgery.
Border Therapy Services can help you find effective physical therapy after knee surgery
At Border Therapy Services, we offer effective and personalized post-surgery therapy plans. We’re able to personalize our plans for two reasons: We perform free screenings to gather information about each patient’s condition and needs. We also have many therapy techniques at our disposal, and this allows us to pick the techniques that will be most effective for you. Some of the benefits that our post-knee surgery therapy plans are designed to provide include:
- Reduced pain
- Improved joint mobility
- Increased muscle strength and flexibility
- Shorter recovery time
Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment to start your physical therapy after knee surgery.