Years ago you had a total knee replacement surgery, and it helped ease your pain. Your knee replacement also likely allowed you to get back to normal activities like walking the dog. However, lately you’ve noticed that your knee has started to get sore and swollen, and your knee sometimes feels unstable when you walk or do other normal activities. 

If you’re dealing with these symptoms, it could be because the prosthesis in your knee is wearing out. As a result, your doctor may recommend that you have knee revision surgery to replace all or part of the old prosthesis with new parts. The recovery time after knee revision surgery is between three and six months for most people. However, working with a physical therapist can help reduce your recovery time after knee revision surgery. 

Two ways physical therapy can help cut your recovery time after knee revision surgery

Some people may think that they can skip doing physical therapy after knee revision surgery, but they really shouldn’t. There are many reasons for this. However, one of the most telling is that working with a physical therapist offers benefits that can help decrease your recovery time after knee revision surgery. Some of these benefits may include: 

1. Increasing joint mobility — One of the reasons why you may have needed revision surgery in the first place is that your knee stiffened up. Your knee could remain stiff after surgery, too, if you don’t take steps to improve your joint mobility. 

Physical therapists can help you learn the steps you need to take to increase joint mobility. Often, they may use their hands to perform a technique called joint mobilization. This technique is designed to help naturally reduce stiffness in your healing knee joint, which can help you regain better knee function faster.

2. Improving muscle function — The joint itself isn’t the only thing that’s likely been affected by your degrading knee prosthesis. The muscles in your thigh and calf have also been through a lot. Their ordeal can lead to tense knots in your muscles. These tense knots are called myofascial trigger points. 

Fortunately, physical therapists can address these trigger points using a technique called trigger point release. This hands-on technique is intended to break up the knots of tension in your leg muscles, which can help improve the function of these muscles. The result can be muscles that are better able to do the job of supporting your knee after surgery. This can help you get moving more quickly after your procedure.

Find help decreasing your recovery time after knee revision surgery at Franklin Rehab

Have you recently had knee revision surgery? Are you interested in cutting your post-surgery recovery time? If you said yes to both of these questions, then our team at Franklin Rehabilitation is ready to help you meet this goal. We offer free screenings that can help us determine what post-surgery issues you’re dealing with. Our physical therapists can then build you a post-surgical rehab plan that’s personalized to your needs and goals. You can even start preparing your body for surgery and recovery using our pre-surgery rehab service. 

Contact our team today for more information about our pre- and post-surgical rehab services or to schedule an initial appointment.