Top 3 Activities To Avoid After Knee Replacement

We’re going to be talking about the top three activities to avoid after total knee replacement surgery. 

If you would prefer a video about the top 3 activities to avoid after total knee replacement you can watch it here:

#1 – High Impact Activities & Sports

The first activity to avoid after total knee replacement is high impact exercises or sports. This includes running, jumping, cutting, and twisting like in soccer, football or basketball.

The reason why these activities should mostly be avoided after total knee replacement surgery is because it can cause early implant failure. When you put a lot of stress on a new knee joint, you can actually wear down faster.

With that said, there are younger people in their 40s and 50s who get total knee replacement and are able to return to sports by modifying the way that they participate. Everybody goes into total knee replacement surgery at a different age and physical status, so activities to be avoided are very person dependent. If you’re considering participating in high impact exercises at the knee replacement surgery, talk to your surgeon about what implant is being used and what is Your risk for Implant failure.

#2 – Frequent Heavy Weight Training

The second activity to avoid after total knee replacement surgery is frequent heavy weight training.

An average lifespan for a knee replacement is 15 and 25 years. If you overload the joint with heavy weight training like squats, deadlifts, or a leg press, the implant will break down a lot faster. There are more efficient ways to build up your leg muscles.

#3 – Prolonged Kneeling Or Crawling

Besides heavy weight training, a third activity to avoid after total knee replacement surgery is prolonged kneeling and crawling.

This is also dependent on your age and physical fitness level, as well as what you do for work. Most of the patients that see us after knee replacement surgery don’t have kneeling restrictions so unless your surgeon tells you not to kneel on the knee, you can continue to do so.

One way you can start to work on kneeling is to put several soft balance pads like these under your knees to help you desensitize the knee joint and build confidence to put more weight on that new knee. As you get more comfortable, you can decrease the number of pads under your knees so you can get closer to the ground.

One of the main reasons why you want to work on kneeling after total knee replacement surgery is because of the off chance that you fall and end up on the floor. It is critical that you’re comfortable with getting on your knees and be able to move into a standing position. You just don’t want to make it a habit where you’re on your knees for a prolonged period of time and put extra stress on a new joint.

Frustrations

I know some of you reading this article right now might be frustrated because you might have thought after knee replacement surgery you would be able to go back to sports or high impact activities. I’m not saying you can’t do these things. All I’m saying is that you want to talk to your surgeon and your therapist to see what kind of implant they gave you as well as what are the pros and cons.

If you have any questions, please click the button below to speak to one of our knee replacement specialists.