Knee Replacement Surgery in Clarks Summit

Regain Mobility and Functionality After Knee Replacement Surgery in Clarks Summit

Undergoing knee replacement surgery is a major, life-changing procedure. While the surgery itself replaces damaged cartilage and bone to alleviate chronic joint pain, the road to full recovery extends well beyond the operating room.
That’s why Body Dynamic’s experienced physical therapists are here to guide you through each step of rehabilitation after total or partial knee replacement. With convenient locations across Clarks Summit, our caring experts provide personalized therapy programs to help you:

• Restore range of motion and flexibility
• Regain strength and stability
• Effectively manage surgery-related pain and discomfort
• Smoothly transition back to daily work, leisure, and life activities

Whether you had a total or partial knee replacement days ago or years in the past, Body Dynamic tailor therapy plans to meet your unique needs and goals. Read on to learn how our proven rehabilitation methods can get you moving freely again after knee replacement surgery.

Who Can Benefit From Body Dynamic’s Knee Replacement Rehab Services

Our comprehensive knee replacement therapy programs are designed for a wide range of patients, including those who:

• Recently underwent total or partial knee replacement surgery
• Struggle with stiffness, instability, pain, or other lingering surgery-related issues
• Need therapy months or years after surgery to maintain functionality
• Want to return to beloved work, leisure, or everyday activities
• Seek to preserve joint health and avoid additional surgery

Custom treatment plans help maximize outcomes for patients of all ages, activity levels, and stages post-operation.

The Vital Role of Physical Therapy After Knee Replacement Surgery in Clarks Summit

While knee replacement surgery reshapes the joint, physical therapy afterward plays a crucial role in rebuilding strength and mobility. Without proper rehab, scar tissue can form improperly inside the joint, resulting in limited flexibility and discomfort. Lack of exercise can also cause the muscles surrounding the knee to become weak and shrink.
Under the watchful eyes of our therapists, patients safely:

• Heal surgery sites through targeted exercises
• Restore range of motion and flexibility
• Rebuild strength and stability
• Expand abilities to walk, climb stairs, stand up from chairs, and more
• Receive hands-on manual therapy and modalities to ease acute pain
• Learn to protect the new joint with proper body mechanics
• Gain independence to prevent falls or future injury

The expertise, support, and constant customization provided by Body Dynamic’s therapists lead to better function, confidence, and quality of life.

The Benefits of Physical Therapy After Knee Replacement Surgery in Clarks Summit

Each element of our tailored knee replacement rehab programs is designed to help patients achieve positive outcomes after surgery. Key benefits include:

Improved Mobility and Flexibility
Getting in and out of bed, standing up, walking, using stairs, exercising, driving, working in the garden – these basic movements require balance, coordination, and free range of motion around the knee joint. Our physical therapists help patients recapture this natural flexibility through targeted strengthening and stretching exercises. Manual techniques like joint mobilization are also used to maintain or improve motion within the new knee. With diligent therapy, patients can descend stairs foot over foot rather than lead with the healthy leg. They may also walk smoothly without assistive devices or modify activity to avoid discomfort.

Enhanced Muscular Strength and Stability
The quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, hip flexors, and core muscles surrounding the knee joint provide essential support and stabilization during everyday activities. But surgery, scar tissue formation, and inactivity after the procedure can cause these muscles to weaken substantially.
Body Dynamic’s therapy routines counteract muscular atrophy through repetitive exercises that incrementally regain power and endurance. Improving the coordination of these muscle groups also enhances stability for walking, standing, exercising, and other functions.
With stronger leg muscles, patients have an easier time moving about freely and keeping their balance during daily living.

Effective Pain Management
Because surgery traumatizes soft tissues like ligaments, tendons, and bones within the knee, postoperative pain is common. Pain left untreated can impede mobility goals, delay progress, and affect mental health.
Our therapists utilize a variety of hands-on techniques and modalities to alleviate surgical pain, including:

• Gentle joint and soft tissue mobilization
• Therapeutic exercises to heal tissues without further trauma
• Electrical stimulation to block pain signals
• Cold and hot packs to alleviate swelling and discomfort
• TENS therapy to modify pain perception

As acute pain subsides, patients find it easier to participate in rehab exercises – further accelerating their progress.

FAQs: Knee Replacement Physical Therapy Essentials

If you’re considering knee replacement surgery, chances are you have plenty of questions about the procedure and recovery process. Here we answer some of the key physical therapy-related FAQs patients often ask:

How Long Does Physical Therapy Last After Knee Replacement Surgery in Clarks Summit?
Most patients participate in therapy for 4-6 months post-surgery. In the early weeks, sessions may occur 2-3 times per week to manage pain, regain range of motion, improve strength, and practice techniques like walking. Frequency often decreases gradually as abilities improve.

Some patients elect to continue physical therapy for 6-12 months (or more) after surgery – especially those highly active prior to joint degeneration. Ongoing conditioning, strength training, and balance work can help maintain optimal function long-term.

Years after surgery, many patients return to outpatient physical therapy to address new onset pain, instability, reduced motion, or weakness that hinders activity.

When Can I Drive After Knee Replacement Surgery?
Most surgeons provide clearance to drive 2-4 weeks after surgery, as long as you meet a few mobility benchmarks first. Requirements often include demonstrating good muscle control, being able to bend the knee 90 degrees, and comfortably operating pedals without restrictive devices.

Prior to medical approval, our therapists help patients achieve these strength, flexibility and coordination prerequisites through customized exercises and practice. We also instruct patients on proper movements to enter/exit vehicles without straining healing tissues.

How Soon After Surgery Can I Walk or Exercise?
The first 1-2 days after surgery, therapists focus on gentle exercises in bed to stimulate blood flow, reduce swelling, and maintain mobility achieved intraoperatively.

As pain and inflammation subside, patients progress to seated range of motion activities, bed mobility skills, and brief periods of walking with support. Exercises grow progressively more challenging under the guidance of our experts.
Low-impact cardio like stationary biking or swimming is typically introduced 4-6 weeks post-op to improve strength and endurance without jarring impact. More vigorous exercise usually occurs at the 3-6 month marks or as individually tolerated.

Meet Body Dynamic’s Highly Qualified Physical Therapy Team

Each of our distinguished therapists possesses advanced orthopedic expertise combined with unwavering compassion. Get acquainted with just a few of the professionals guiding patients to success before and after knee replacement surgery:

Donna Sokolowski, PT, specializing in Vestibular Disorders, Concussion Management, and Graston Technique
Doctor of Physical Therapy with 10 years of outpatient orthopedic rehabilitation experience. Specializes in postoperative recovery for knee and hip replacement patients using manual techniques and therapeutic exercise.

About The Author

Donna Sokolowski, PT, has been a physical therapist for over 30 years. She’s excellent at making exercises that can get boring feel fun and interesting. Donna loves seeing her patients quickly get better with problems like feeling dizzy, moving smoothly, seeing clearly, thinking sharply, and managing pain, as long as they’re doing the right exercises. Her patients often say she’s great at listening and explaining things in a way that’s easy to understand.

Start Healing Today at Body Dynamic Physical Therapy

If knee osteoarthritis has taken away your ability to move pain-free, surgery may provide relief – but the real work starts afterward. Body Dynamic’s physical therapists oversee your entire rehabilitation journey beyond the operating room. Our proven treatments soothe surgical pain, restore flexibility, rebuild strength, expand function, and enable activities you love.

Request an appointment or call us to schedule your initial evaluation at one of Body Dynamic’s convenient Clarks Summit locations. Our compassionate experts look forward to helping you move forward after knee replacement.