Recovering from knee replacement surgery can feel overwhelming, whether you or a loved one are going through it. It’s natural to have concerns about how long it might take to get back to normal activities or questions about what kind of appointments and responsibilities you’ll have during recovery. The good news? Making simple adjustments now with a personal physical therapy partner can lead to long-term comfort and ease.

Avoiding these 5 common pitfalls may make all the difference in your healing process—and your quality of life moving forward.

1. Skipping physical therapy or under-exercising

One of the simplest and most significant mistakes people make after knee replacement surgery is not committing to physical therapy or the recommended exercise routines. While it’s tempting to rest completely, failing to move your leg enough can lead to the atrophy (weakening) of muscles and soft tissue surrounding the knee. Left untreated, weakened muscles and ligaments can make recovery harder and increase the risk of injury later on.

Why this matters

Neglecting your routine of knee exercises can make it harder to restore strength and mobility, especially as we age. Your rehabilitation plan is carefully designed to stimulate healing and help your muscles and ligaments get stronger through recovery.

What to do instead:

• Follow your physical therapist’s instructions for stretches and low-impact exercises closely.
• Perform exercises daily to rebuild strength gradually but consistently.
• If something doesn’t feel right with your routine, ask your therapist about knee replacement exercises to avoid to ensure you’re not doing anything that might be harmful rather than helpful.

2. Overloading your knee joint too soon

On the flip side, some people jump into activity too quickly after surgery. While enthusiasm is great, doing too much too soon can add unnecessary stress to your healing knee joint. Standing for long periods, walking without breaks, or pushing your range of motion prematurely can delay recovery and lead to setbacks.

Why this matters

Following surgery, the tissues around your knee are highly vulnerable. Overloading the joint can lead to inflammation, irritation, increased pain, or even injury, making your road to recovery longer.

What to do instead:

• Gradually increase activity levels, starting with short walks amidst regular rest periods.
• Follow your physical therapist’s structured plan, which is tailored to your health condition and specific surgery.

3. Keeping the knee too immobile and rigid

A common misconception is that keeping your knee still helps it heal faster. Unfortunately, this leads to reduced range of motion over time. Stiffness can develop quickly post-surgery, particularly if the joint remains inflexible for extended periods.

Why this matters

The knee’s supportive tissues (like ligaments and tendons) tend to adapt to your new movement habits when they heal from a change as significant as surgery. If you don’t stretch or move enough, your lifestyle could become limited in ways you didn’t anticipate.

What to do instead:

• Incorporate range-of-motion exercises into your recovery plan.
• Follow any flexibility routines recommended by your therapist to keep the knee joint limber. Over time, you’ll notice improved motion without additional stiffness.
• Take small steps every day—if you don’t do the daily movements you expect to be doing after you heal, your body won’t adapt to the consistent range of motion it needs to recover fully.

4. Ignoring pain management

If you’ve been struggling to adjust to your new knee, you’re not alone. Pain is one factor every patient encounters in knee surgery rehab. The mistake? Underestimating how vital pain management can be in allowing you to perform exercises that heal and strengthen your knee. Your physical therapist will have several options for pain relief treatments or activities to keep you as comfortable as possible while you engage with your physical therapy routine.

Why this matters

Untreated pain can prevent you from fully engaging in rehabilitation exercises, which are key to both your short- and long-term recovery. Knee pain after surgery also negatively affects sleep and energy levels—both of which are critical components of healing.

What to do instead:

• Take prescribed pain medications as advised by your doctor. Proper pain management helps you stay consistent with exercises and ensures you maintain a reasonable quality of life even in the hardest moments of rehab.
• Ask your physical therapist about non-drug remedies like ice packs, gentle massages, or TENS devices to further reduce discomfort naturally.
• Communicate openly with your care team if pain is interfering with therapy.

5. Not making long-term lifestyle changes

A knee replacement isn’t just a medical fix to make sure everything goes back to normal—it’s also an opportunity to re-think your overall routines and movements. During recovery, you have several weeks with which to reset, start new healthy habits, and make long-term choices about how and what you’d like to do. On the flip side, when people treat their new knee as if it’s as healthy as it was when they were 20, they might be more prone to stress injuries, joint degradation, or increased stiffness and discomfort in the future.

Why this matters

Changing how you move and care for your joints prevents long-term damage, reducing your chances of needing additional surgeries or treatments as you age.

What to do instead:

• Ask your physical therapist about healthy movement patterns, such as using proper posture and being mindful of how you place pressure on your joints.
• Incorporate joint-friendly exercises like swimming or cycling into your fitness routine.
• Think of this recovery window as a chance to commit to sustainable health habits that benefit your whole body and lifestyle moving forward.

Start your journey toward pain-free movement

Recovering after knee replacement surgery is no small task, but avoiding major mistakes—and committing to gradual, sustainable progress—makes everything easier in the long run. By following the latest physical therapy guidelines, treating your knee gently, staying active, and prioritizing pain management, you can come out of the recovery period after knee replacement surgery stronger and more mobile than before.

At Franklin Physical Therapy, we’re proud to be your partner in recovery after knee replacement surgery. Learn how we personalize the rehabilitation process for every person’s unique surgery plan and goals after recovery by starting a conversation with our team. You can reach us by calling our Franklin, WI clinic or by requesting an appointment online today.