Knee surgery, more commonly knee replacement surgery, is a common procedure that many elderly people have to go through. It may be necessary when a person suffers from severe damage to the knee joint due to arthritis, other bone diseases or a fracture that has not responded to other treatments. Such conditions may lead to chronic pain and immobility, requiring replacement of the joint. While the procedure is common, recovering from it requires some time.
Post-surgery care and physical therapy are a very important part of recovery when it comes to knee surgery. Even after the patient has been discharged from the hospital, they usually need home care and have to undergo physical therapy for a while. Physical therapy helps them restore the normal movement of the knee joint, ease any pain, swelling, or stiffness, and build strength in the leg. This is extremely essential, particularly for older people, to get back to leading a normal life post-surgery.
There are several senior home health care services that can help you with physical therapy at home. But before you pick any of the elder care services, it is good to know what to expect from physical therapy.
Physical therapy immediately after surgery
In many cases, physical therapy is started immediately after a knee surgery. If the patient is not in too much pain or there are no other complications, they may be put on physical therapy the very next day. This is usually done by in-house physical therapists at the hospital. They will start with making the patient sit on the edge of the bed and suggest slight movements in the leg that can help strengthen the muscles.
Exercises like tensing and relaxing the thigh muscles or moving the ankles are some exercises they may recommend. This has to be under the complete supervision of the physical therapist and never be done alone as the leg is still very weak at this stage. The physical therapist will also try to bring back the most basic range of motion to your knee. They will teach you how to get in and out of bed with support, how to walk with crutches or a walker, how to get in and out of a car, etc.
Physical therapy in home care
After staying in the hospital for about 3 nights, depending on the recovery, most patients are discharged. From this point onwards, home care and physical therapy at home need to start. As the patient is not under hospital care anymore, you may need to contact a good senior home health care service looking for a physical therapist.
After about 5 days of surgery, a patient should be in a position to slowly ramp up the intensity of their exercises. Looking at the progress, the at-home physical therapist will recommend more exercises such as climbing stairs with support, longer walks with crutches or a walker, etc. they may also teach some range of motion exercises to increase the movement in the knee.
The physical therapist can also include some balance training exercises that help the patient respond to changes in the environment. For example, when you’re walking on uneven ground or a rocky surface, you need balance and a quick reflex. To help them with balance and agility, the physical therapist may add activities where the patient needs to turn or change direction frequently, make quick stops, etc.
With time, the therapist will go on adding more activities, until the patient is ready to get back to the life they were living before the knee problem started to limit their movement.
What to expect from different stages of physical therapy
By the time the patient is discharged from the hospital, they should ideally be able to bend their knee, and dress/ bathe on their own. They should also be able to walk at least 25 feet with support and not depend much on a supporting device.
By the 3rd week after surgery, they can likely stand for more than 10 minutes and bend their knee by 90 degrees. At this stage, they also usually stop depending on assistive devices and can walk with the help of a single cane at most.
After week 6, the patient can slowly get back to their everyday activities. They can travel, walk farther without any support and some can even get back to driving.
By week 12, they are on their road to complete recovery. They must continue with the exercises suggested by the physical therapist and stay in contact with them for any needs.
How elder care services can help
Elder care services have professional caregivers and physical therapists who can help elderly patients recover faster from their knee surgery. Senior patients need much more care and professional help to recover from the effects of a surgery of this scale. The skilled professionals at a good senior home health care service know how to deal with aging patients with utmost care and compassion. They can be of great help to your elderly loved ones.
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