Getting back on your feet from your hip/knee replacement surgery.

Do you feel like it is going to take a long time to get back to walking and being on your feet after your surgery? Well this is the article that can provide you with an insight on how to combat the issue at hand.

Approximately $2 billion was spent on 100,000 people with knee and hip replacements in the year 2016.

Physiotherapists are always recommended by the surgeons and GPs to people who are suffering from osteoarthritis (OA). Much research has shown that people with OA tend to get a lot better with just exercise, and those who chose surgery were able to benefit immensely from the exercises provided to them. Having surgery can provide you with a new joint, but the muscles around the joint that create the movement are still the same.  They need power and strength, which requires attention before and after the surgery.

Many people nevertheless do not seek any help before the surgery and have to face the consequences such as:

  1. Increased pain post surgery and extended periods of time to recover, making them more likely to decline further knee/hip replacement in the future.
  2. Quality of life decreases drastically as the surgery limits the movement and cause restriction for a few weeks or even months.
  3. Post surgery depression due to being dependent on others and limitation of movement and function.

Why put yourself through the trouble when attending to the knee before surgery has many benefits such as:

  1. Pre surgery rehab education – know what to expect during the surgery and the months following.
  2. Strength before the surgery can reduce the amount of pain following surgery, and get you back to functional level quicker.
  3. Quality of life improves, because the right health professionals are on board to give you the best recovery from the surgery

Surgery is not the solution to your OA, it is an accessory. You have the choice to benefit from it!

OA affects the bones and cartilage, but there is a secret that I am going to share with you!

If you have been paying attention, you may have already guessed the secret.

It’s all about the muscles!

The main purpose of the muscles is to provide the skeletal system of our body with movement. There has been an increase in sedentary lifestyles recently causing people to use less of the muscles leading to muscle wasting. Just like any machine when not being used, it gets rusty and it takes a lot to get it running again. Therefore, if before the surgery your muscles had been under-utilized, what makes you think that after the surgery they are going to be in tip top condition? The reality is they actually deteriorates further after the surgery.

Now that I have convinced you about the importance of muscles, you could be asking “If the muscles deteriorate after surgery, doesn’t all the hard work that I put into before surgery go down the drain after surgery?”

It’s like this. If you start off with 50% muscle strength and after surgery, the strength of muscle reduces a further 50% that leaves you with 25% muscle strength after the surgery. Now if you do the exercises and prepare the muscles strength to 90%, and surgery decreases that by 50%, it leaves 45% muscle strength after the surgery. That’s a much better outcome, and will have you back to normal a lot faster.

If this resonates with you, why don’t you give us a call and book an appointment with our physiotherapist who will help you with their expertise in manual therapies, and provide you with exercise programs for the best recovery.

We also offer exercise classes, where we ensure you are given the optimal exercise program, guidance and support from our physiotherapist, who can provide you with further help or answer those burning questions that you have about arthritis and surgery.

What are you waiting for? Give us a call at 07 4662 3422.