It may take four weeks or more before you can resume lifting or performing heavy chores around the house. View on Amazon Do not lift heavy objects right awayĪfter your knee surgery, you should avoid lifting heavy weights or performing heavy chores until cleared by your physical therapist. If you still have any sort of limp, lean, or pain in your knee or hip, you must continue to use an assistive device like a walker or cane until you correct these movement patterns. But it is important to use a walker until you can comfortably walk with a cane after knee surgery because you want to avoid increased pain or strain to your knees, hips, and back. It may be tempting to get rid of the walker so that you can use a cane instead.
Do not ditch the walker or cane too soon. You need to build up your walking tolerance gradually, and use the assistive device as instructed by your therapist or physician. However, walking through a large department store just days after your knee replacement is not a good idea.
Your physical therapist will instruct you on how to walk properly which is important for you to regain your mobility. But the body is going through a healing process and you need to be smart about how much movement you do and the kind of movement you choose to do. It’s common to want to get better faster after a knee replacement. Kneeling on a soft mat or pillow can actually be helpful in desensitizing the knee once the incision is healed.
The skin must be fully healed, or you risk opening the incision which can lead to an infection and further complications. However, it is important to avoid kneeling on your new knee replacement until your physician has cleared you to do so. Most people will not even attempt to kneel on their new knee because of stiffness and pain. Do not kneel on the new knee until the skin is healed If the skin around your incision becomes increasingly swollen, red, warm, and constantly drains, you may have an infection and you should contact your physician’s office immediately. Once the skin is healed, your physician may approve the use of lotions or oils. Putting essential oils or lotion directly on an incision that is not fully closed is just a bad idea. You need to keep your incision clean and dry in order to avoid the risk of infection. What Not to Do After Knee Replacement Surgery Do not apply lotion, cocoa butter, or essential oils to your new incision right away
Here are the top 7 things you should not do after a knee replacement surgery. We do our best to instruct our patients on what to do, but there are a few things that you should not do after knee replacement surgery.
As a Physical Therapist, I work with patients in all stages of their knee replacement.