Knee Replacement

Knee Replacement, medically referred to as a Total Knee Replacement or Arthroplasty, is done in cases of severe osteoarthritis (OA) that does not respond to previous physical therapy or treatment. Osteoarthritis refers to the deterioration of the cartilage between two bones and a result they now touch one another. Osteoarthritis can happen between two bones at any joint in the body. The knee joint consists of the femur and the tibia. In between these two bones we have articular cartilage on the ends of each bone and cartilage in between the bones called the meniscus. When knee OA develops the articular cartilage and the meniscus deteriorate. Now the tibia and femur are touching. This is the source of pain within the knee from OA.

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During a Total Knee Replacement the ends of the injured bone segments from the femur and the tibia are removed and replaced with metal. The metal now lines the end of these two bones. A plastic spacer is then inserted in between the metal edges of the two bones to allow the two bones to glide pain free on one another. Total Knee Replacements can be traumatic surgeries but they have outstanding results at providing pain free relief to patients in the long run. Many people also have heard how rough the rehabilitation process can be or the horror stories from family and friends about their total knee replacement. However the truth is that the rehab can be done almost totally pain free with the right techniques in clinic and compliance to a home exercise program. Patients tend to run into trouble after a knee replacement if they do not receive hands on treatment or they do not complete their exercises assigned to them for at home. After the surgery the muscles around the knee get very tight as a guarding mechanism. Our first job in physical therapy is to loosen these muscles to alleviate pain and help you move your knee more. We do this by using soft tissue massaging and stretching techniques to the quadriceps, the hamstring, and the calf. We also use techniques such as passive motion to help the knee bend and straighten further without inflicting any further pain (in fact it should alleviate pain!). After we reduce your pain and restore your range of motion we work to strengthen the muscles around the knee to support the new joint so you can stand, walk, and navigate stairs without limitations. Total Knee Replacements tend to give patients excellent results and the physical therapy helps patients return to pain free life. Please see photos below for examples of techniques we use to treat patients who have received a Total Knee Replacement in our clinic. If you would like to schedule an appointment please reach out to us.