Exercises after knee surgery: how to develop a knee after an injury

Beautiful legs are what every woman dreams of. And by legs we mean not only the hips, but also the knees, which can spoil the appearance of the legs, even if they themselves are slender and long. Ugly and thick knees cause concern to many ladies, making it difficult to wear short skirts and shorts. What to do? Fortunately, there are various exercises for beautiful knees that help get rid of all the excess, as well as additional methods.

How to develop a knee after surgery for a knee injury

Details Published 03/13/2020 12:51 Surgeries after injuries to the knee joint can be performed in different ways - including low-traumatic arthroscopic intervention.
But even with arthroscopy, the timing of development of the knee joint depends on many factors, in particular, how significant the changes were to the knee joint, the condition of the meniscus and whether the ligaments were damaged. In the process of rehabilitation and development of the knee joint after surgery, it is important to remember that excessive loads are very dangerous, as they can provoke swelling and pain, due to which the recovery time will greatly increase.
For example, you should drive or return to sedentary work no earlier than a week after surgery. The vast majority of patients manage to achieve the level of daily household activity in approximately 1 - 1.5 months, while sports can be started no earlier than after 2 - 2.5 months. Although the patient can do physical therapy exercises prescribed by the doctor already 7-8 days after arthroscopy. Contents: 1. Rehabilitation after arthroscopy of the knee joint 2. How to develop the knee after surgery so that it bends: methods 3. Initial set of physical exercises (5-7 days after surgery) 4. Intermediate set of physical exercises (3-4 weeks after surgery) 5 . Physical therapy program for mobilization of the knee joint 6. Post-immobilization rehabilitation period

Rehabilitation after knee arthroscopy

It will be possible to develop the knee after surgery with arthroscopic intervention many times faster than with operations performed using a standard open approach. However, it will take more than one month for complete recovery. It is very important to follow the instructions of your doctor and rehabilitation doctor to quickly restore the functionality of ligaments, muscles and the conductivity of nerve endings.

Rehabilitation after knee arthroscopy can take several months, up to six months. The entire period of development and restoration of the joint can be divided into 2 parts - rehabilitation begins in the hospital (during the first 3 days), then the development of the joint can be done at home or in a specialized medical center under the supervision of a doctor. The second option, when the patient decides to develop the joint in a rehabilitation center, is preferable, since it allows you to combine exercise therapy with physiotherapy methods, drug treatment, massages, etc.

In total, the process of outpatient recovery after injuries and knee surgery is divided into 4 successive stages:

During the first month, all exercises and rehabilitation methods are aimed at preventing postoperative complications and atrophy of the ankle and thigh muscles. The exercises are gentle and the load is minimal.
Starting from the second month and until about the third month, the joint is developed very intensively, during which time it is necessary to ensure the patient has a confident gait without lameness. At this stage, it is advisable to include swimming.
From the third month until the end of the fourth, rehabilitators work on strengthening the leg muscles, so the emphasis is on strength exercises.
Starting from the fifth month, the so-called “post-rehabilitation” period begins - the person works out on his own in order to regain full range of motion in the joint. Knee development is carried out at home or in gyms, but under the supervision of a specialist.

How to make your knees thin and slender: recommendations

Many believe that the presence of fat on the knees does not pose any health hazard, since they are located far enough from vital organs, and the whole point of the problem is psychological discomfort. This is partly true, but only partly. Every kilogram of weight that is considered excess according to medical standards increases the load on the knee joint several times. In combination with fat above the knees themselves, this can lead to dangerous consequences, such as joint inflammation, osteoarthritis, arthrosis, increased risk of injury when moving and difficulty moving in general. Therefore, beauty is beauty, but first of all you need to take care of your health. Getting rid of excess weight throughout the body is a must.

The beauty of women's knees is a combination of the shape of the legs and the condition of the skin. The main thing you will need is fitness, in particular, exercises for slender knees, which must be performed regularly, and only then can you achieve excellent results.

Also keep in mind that beautiful knees are only possible if your legs are healthy. Therefore, give up tight, uncomfortable, low-quality shoes, and extremely high heels. With the right and comfortable shoes, nothing will prevent you from having healthy legs, beautiful knees and an attractive gait.

The skin on your knees also requires care. In its absence, it can harden and become very hard, like the skin of the heels. Lubricate your knees with body cream or use various scrubs. The latter can be prepared at home using coffee, salt, honey and other ingredients.

Wraps will help reduce the volume of the knee. You can use cosmetic clay in combination with essential oils.

It will be quite difficult to lose weight specifically in the knees, since the body usually loses weight as a whole, so general measures are also necessary. One of them is a proper balanced diet. Avoid strict diets, as they do not bring anything good - only harm to health and a very quick return of weight back.

For beautiful knees, like all other parts of the body, fractional proper nutrition is best suited. Eat 5-6 times a day in small portions, drink enough water, try to give up fast food, unhealthy sweets, baked goods, smoked foods, and fatty foods.

Limit salt intake in your diet, as it retains fluid in the body, thereby causing swelling of the limbs and, accordingly, an increase in their volume.

Train yourself to have a healthy and healthy snack: a boiled egg, a banana, plain yogurt, a small handful of nuts. These foods will not make you gain weight if you eat them in moderation.

How to develop a knee after surgery so that it bends: methods

Arthroscopy is a minimally invasive operation performed using endoscopic equipment, which is inserted into the cavity of the knee joint through 3 small incisions. As a rule, after 3 days the patient is discharged from the hospital, after which the period of physical rehabilitation actually begins.

It is very important that classes take place under the supervision of a doctor, since physical activity must be strictly dosed and selected individually. Special exercises prescribed by a rehabilitator will help quickly restore the functionality of the joint and avoid complications.

Physical rehabilitation is complemented by physiotherapeutic methods, as well as massages. Only an integrated approach can ensure the fastest possible effect.

Initial set of physical exercises (5-7 days after surgery)

After discharge from the hospital, the patient begins to gently perform the exercises prescribed by the doctor. The exercise therapy complex is developed individually. At this stage, there are no uniform exercise options for all patients.

As a rule, drug rehabilitation continues at the initial stage. In particular, the patient takes non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, painkillers, and, if necessary, blood thinners. In this case, it is important to ensure that the operated leg is positioned as high as possible and if swelling appears, cold should be applied to the knee immediately.

It is mandatory to wear a knee pad or elastic bandage. If you are prone to blood clots, your doctor will recommend wearing compression stockings.

Intermediate set of physical exercises (3-4 weeks after surgery)

When the first month after injury and surgery is nearing completion, you can begin more intense exercise. The main goal of the intermediate set of exercises is to restore normal gait and knee flexion-extension function. The muscles of the thigh and ankle are actively worked out and strengthened. By 3-4 weeks there should be no swelling or severe pain, so you can increase the range of motion and expand the number of exercises performed.

Exercise therapy is actively complemented by physiotherapy, and drug treatment, as a rule, is already completed at this time. After the first month is completed, it is important not to interrupt rehabilitation, as otherwise there is a high risk of developing post-traumatic arthrosis and gait disorders.

Why is it dangerous not to warm up before an intense workout?

Exercising without warming up increases the risk of sprains, muscle strains, or joint injuries. They are followed by breaks in classes, that is, a stop in sports progress and a rollback of existing results. If you do not systematically warm up, this harms the heart muscle (in some cases, sudden surges in pressure and even fainting are possible).

In addition, the unpreparedness of the body's systems for intense training loads produces rapid fatigue and loss of enthusiasm during exercise. Ignoring the warm-up is a typical mistake of beginners who do not want to waste time and, as a result, often get injured in their first classes.

Physical therapy program for knee mobilization

The main tasks of exercise therapy after injuries and knee surgery are to restore ligaments and muscles weakened during immobilization. In addition, you must:

Prevent swelling by normalizing blood circulation in the injured limb.
Strengthen your leg muscles.
Restore the maximum range of motion of the joint.
Activate nutrition of limb tissues.

If the patient engages in physical therapy under the supervision of a specialist, this will give the following positive results:

The risk of blood clots will be reduced.
Blood circulation in the tissues of the damaged limb is normalized: wounds will heal faster and muscle atrophy will be eliminated.
The circulation of synovial fluid and local metabolism will improve.
Regeneration of cartilage tissue will occur faster.
The ligaments will recover faster. The more actively the ligamentous apparatus works, the thicker the ligaments become.
The risks of developing reactive arthritis and arthrosis in the future will be reduced.

At the same time, exercise therapy is also useful for the entire body as a whole: not only the flexor and extensor muscles of the knee are developed, but also the anterior and posterior groups of the femoral muscles. The functioning of the cardiovascular system improves, the blood is filled with oxygen and quickly distributes nutrients to the internal organs.

Thus, exercise therapy is the best way to rehabilitate the knee joint after injuries and operations, but the exercise program should be individually drawn up by the attending physician or rehabilitation specialist. Self-medication in this case is inappropriate.

Therapeutic complex for restoring and strengthening knees

The complex contains exercises related to the rehabilitation program after arthrosis and knee injuries, and helps strengthen them.

Lay out a rug and lie down on it with your back:

We stretch our arms up behind our heads, palms facing the ceiling, toes pointing in the opposite direction. As you inhale, pull your socks towards you and begin to alternately stretch each heel down (parallel to the floor). At this time, the pelvis moves a little - this is normal. As you exhale, lower your socks down again. Don't hold your breath, just remember when to inhale and when to exhale.
We lower our arms down parallel to the body. Raise your right leg and stretch your toes up. As you inhale, pull it towards you, as you exhale, away from you. We do this 5 times for each leg, feeling the stretch in the knee.
From the same position, we begin to do a “bicycle” - 10 rotational movements with each leg in turn.
Then the “bicycle” is done with both legs at once - 20 circles. Don't forget to pull the sock away from you.
Now lower your legs, bend your knees 100 degrees (more than a right angle), spread your knees to the sides. Feet together. This exercise is called the “butterfly”. We spread our knees and bring them together - we do this 10 times.
From a lying position, pull your knee with both hands towards your stomach. We press it and stretch our face to the knee. We do 5 stretching movements in this way.
Then we clasp both knees with our hands and do the same.
Bend your legs at an acute angle, feet shoulder-width apart. We place our right leg with our foot on our left knee and turn the knee of our right leg to the side and back. We do 5-10 stretching movements. Then we do the same for the second leg.
Now it’s more difficult: when one leg is on the knee of the other, with the force of the latter, lift both legs, touching the first knee to the chest.
With your feet shoulder-width apart, lower your right knee inward (to the left), touching it to the floor. Repeat 10 times for each leg.
Now we need a ball (or roller). We sit on a chair and place the ball under our foot. We roll it forward and backward, left and right due to the movement of the knee joint. Make 10 movements with each leg in all 4 directions.
We sit on the floor and do a butterfly from a sitting position. We don’t help with our hands; they are located between the legs and hold the feet.

The listed exercises for the knees can be done either one by one for each leg, or as a bunch, doing 3-4 exercises for each leg in a row.

Post-immobilization period of rehabilitation

The post-immobilization period of rehabilitation after injury and surgery can last from 2 to 4-5 months. Sometimes it takes longer. The intensity of the load gradually increases. As the muscles and ligamentous apparatus become stronger, running and walking in the pool and swimming are added. Exercises on step platforms and special exercise machines also demonstrate effectiveness. A few months after the operation, it is also worth starting to do deep squats, however, if any discomfort, swelling or pain appears, the exercises should be stopped, and the problem should be reported to the doctor.

Until the functionality of the knee is fully restored, running, jumping, and swinging legs are excluded. Caution should be exercised when performing twisting exercises and transferring body weight to the injured limb.

Warm up before training at home

You can exclude cardio exercises from warming up before training at home, since home exercises are not as intense as in the gym and increase the heart rate slightly. If desired, the treadmill can be replaced by running in place or “shadow boxing” - an imitation of boxing sparring with an imaginary opponent.

Cardio warm-up can be replaced with exercises for the whole body, such as jumpingjack - jumping while clapping overhead, or squats and throwing a ball at the wall. If home workout time is limited, joint exercises and stretching are sufficient.