Knee replacement surgery, or knee arthroplasty, is a transformative procedure designed to alleviate pain and restore function in patients suffering from severe knee damage. While the surgery is a crucial step toward improved mobility, the journey doesn’t end in the operating room. The rehabilitation process is vital for ensuring a successful recovery and regaining your pre-surgery quality of life. A key component of this recovery is Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) and a tailored exercise program. Understanding Knee Replacement Surgery Knee replacement surgery as the name says, is basically the replacement of a damaged knee joint with an artificial one. There are two type of knee replacement surgery: a total knee replacement (TKR), which replaces the entire knee joint, or a partial knee replacement, which targets only the damaged part of the joint. Nowadays, the decision to undergo knee replacement surgery is often made when conservative treatments, such as medications and physical therapy, have failed to provide relief. This is because, we are more aware now than ever, of how surgery are complex intervention that can yes, give pain relief and benefit, and save life, but occasionally can come with complications and leave the person with other permanent damage. The Rehabilitation Process As in any surgery, the rehabilitation process is extremely important to ensure that the patient returns to the best of their functions. What the rehabilitation involves are physical therapy, exercises, and, where needed, even mental support. Immediate Post-Surgery Care: Pain Management: Right after your surgery, you will be given pain relief medications and antibiotics, which will help in managing the pain response and keep you free from infection risks. Initial Movement: As a few days are pass, is super important to start moving. Initially would be a matter of few mm or cm, passive and active movement, but as days goes by these movement has to be increased, in order to avoid further muscle atrophization and to increase the blood flow to the area. Exercise: Isometric Exercises: As per discussed in many other blogs, those exercises are the first step in the recovery process. An isometric exercise consists of muscle contraction and barely any limb movement. This allows for maintaining a connection between the muscle and the Central Nervous System (CNS), which is essential to ensure muscle engagement for more complex tasks. Initially, those exercises can be achieved with only 25% of your strength, and within 10 days post-surgery, you may start pushing at 50% of your strength or more. Strengthening Exercises: This second step in the exercise journey can start in week three or four after surgery. The process focuses on strengthening the muscles surrounding the knee joint. These exercises are essential for supporting the new joint and improving overall stability. Strengthening exercises may look different from person to person, in terms of load, but they all aim to increase the load to which the knee joint is placed, to stimulate muscle growth, blood flow, and restore all tissue damaged along the surgery. Plyometric Exercises: Lastly, along the rehabilitation process, there are the plyometric exercises, which consist of loading the tendon like a spring (that’s what their function is) and releasing that loading in a fast motion. For a knee joint, think of explosive squat-type exercises. These type of exercises would start around week 8 to 10 post surgery. This is a step-by-step guide of what a rehabilitation process may look like. Each individual then may have a different journey to follow, given their clinical history, and other factors, including genetics and return to daily activities. In addition to the exercises, physical therapy Consistency: Adhering to a home exercise program is crucial for maintaining progress during therapy sessions. Monitoring Progress: Regularly perform your home exercises and track your progress. If you encounter any issues or experience increased pain,get in touch with your physical therapist to discuss what you are presenting with and what can be done about it. Monitoring and Follow-Up: Your surgeon and physical therapist will evaluate you on an ongoing basis to ensure that your recovery is progressing as expected. Any complications or concerns will be addressed promptly. The Importance of Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) is a gentle, hands-on therapy designed to stimulate the lymphatic system and reduce swelling, which can be particularly beneficial following knee replacement surgery. Here’s how MLD supports recovery: Benefits of MLD in Knee Replacement Recovery: Reducing Swelling: Fluid Management: Swelling or edema is a common issue after knee replacement surgery. MLD helps move excess fluid away from the surgical site and reduces overall swelling, which can enhance comfort and mobility. Enhancing Circulation: Improved Blood Flow: By promoting lymphatic flow, MLD also improves blood circulation, delivering essential nutrients and oxygen to the healing tissues, which supports a faster recovery. Reducing Pain and Discomfort: Pain Relief: The gentle massage techniques used in MLD can help alleviate pain and discomfort associated with swelling and inflammation, contributing to a more comfortable recovery experience. Facilitating Faster Recovery Helping the Healing: By reducing swelling and improving circulation, MLD can lead to a more efficient recovery process, enabling more effective physical therapy and exercise. Incorporating MLD into Your Rehab Routine Timing: MLD can be introduced a few days to a week after surgery, depending on your surgeon’s recommendations and your individual healing progress. How can I help? At Melbourne Massage and Treatment, as a Clinical Myotherapist I am trained in helping people recovering from knee surgery or other major surgeries, either with Fitness Class, which can be part of a Myotherapy treatment plan, but even via treatment like Manual Lymphatic Drainage. So if you are about to get a surgery, that is a knee replacement or any other surgery, and you are looking for someone that can assist you with your recovery, get in touch now to discussed your needs and I can give you a rund down on how I will be able to help you. Knee replacement surgery and lymphoedema. As mentioned earlier, we can all have different outcomes from the […]
Tag Archives: rehabilitation
Feb
Whiplash is a common neck injury caused by a sudden and forceful back-and-forth motion of the head. We often see this in patients who go through a car accident, contact sports injuries (AFL, rugby or even Soccer), or falls. While whiplash is usually not life-threatening, we now know that it can cause persistent pain and discomfort, affecting daily activities. Therefore, it is important to understand its symptoms, causes, and the best exercises for recovery, which can help individuals manage and overcome this condition effectively. Common Causes of Whiplash Whiplash is a term used to describe a fast rocking motion of the cervical area and is most frequently caused by: Car accidents: Rear-end collisions are the leading cause, as the sudden force propels the head forward and backward. Sports injuries: Contact sports like football, boxing, or hockey but even AFL, Rugby or even Soccer increase the risk of whiplash injuries. Falls: Slipping and falling can cause the head to jerk suddenly, leading to whiplash. Physical assaults: Blows to the head or sudden jolts, such as those experienced in shaken baby syndrome, can result in whiplash. What are the consequences of Whiplash for the cervical ligaments? The consequences of whiplash for the cervical ligaments can be significant, leading to long-term instability and chronic pain. When the ligaments are overstretched or torn, they lose their ability to support the cervical spine, resulting in properly: Reduced Stability: Weakened ligaments can no longer provide adequate support to the cervical vertebrae, leading to excessive movement and an increased risk of further injury. That’s why stretching is not recommended either. Chronic Pain and Stiffness: Persistent discomfort may arise as the muscles attempt to compensate for the lack of ligament support. Increased Risk of Degeneration: Ligament damage can accelerate wear and tear on the cervical joints, potentially leading to conditions such as osteoarthritis. Neurological Symptoms: Instability in the cervical spine may irritate or compress nerves, leading to headaches, dizziness, or numbness in the arms. Symptoms of Whiplash Whiplash symptoms can range from mild discomfort to severe pain, and they often appear within hours or days of the injury. Common symptoms include: Neck pain and stiffness: One of the most prevalent symptoms, often worsening with movement. Headaches: Typically originating from the base of the skull and radiating toward the forehead. Shoulder and upper back pain: The impact can cause muscle strain in surrounding areas. Reduced range of motion: Difficulty moving the neck due to stiffness and discomfort. Dizziness and fatigue: A common reaction as the body copes with the injury. Tingling or numbness in the arms: Nerve involvement may lead to sensations of pins and needles. Cognitive issues: Some people experience memory problems, difficulty concentrating, and irritability. Those symptoms may not present all at once, and they can belong to other presentations, while whiplash did or didn’t happen anytime before. That’s why when we go through a clinical history taking, as Myotherapist, we take our time to dig into your past and your body habits, as this can give us important information about your current presentation and what we can do to improve it. Why Can Whiplash Become a Lifelong Issue? In some cases, whiplash can become a chronic condition due to the instability of cervical ligaments. Cervical vertebrae can be divided into two parts, Mobile and Stable joints. C1 to C2 are the mobile ones, whereas C3 to C7 are the stable ones. Now, if along a whiplash incident, the ligaments of either the mobile or, most luckily, the stable side get strained, the muscles surrounding that segment of the joint would have to work harder to maintain stability. This would lead to to ongoing discomfort, reduced mobility due to pain and muscle spasms, and increased vulnerability to future injuries. If left untreated or managed improperly, this is how the condition can become chronic and lead to other injuries along the way. Importance of Thoracic Mobility Thoracic mobility plays a crucial role in preventing the chain effect of mobility and stability issues between the thoracic spine, lower cervical, and upper cervical regions. If the thoracic spine is stiff or restricted, the lower and upper cervical spine must compensate, leading to increased strain and pain. Improving thoracic mobility through targeted exercises can help reduce this compensatory stress, allowing for better neck function and reducing the risk of chronic discomfort. In a case of a previous history of whiplash, maintaining good thoracic mobility would allow the cervical area to focus on its duties, so stability for the lower portion and mobility for the upper. Reducing the risk of overcompensation and muscle fatigue. Effective Exercises for Whiplash Recovery A structured exercise program is essential for whiplash recovery. This program should begin with isometric exercises to restore basic cervical movement, progress to concentric exercises to rebuild strength, and eventually include thoracic mobility drills to enhance overall spinal function. Phase 1: Isometric Exercises for Early Recovery. For the first 2 weeks post-injury, 5 to 7 days a week. Isometric exercises help activate muscles without excessive movement, providing a stable foundation for recovery. This step is essential to start driving more blood to the area irritated by the whiplash and also allow the central nervous system to feel confident in perceiving the cervical structure moving without pain. Isometric Neck Holds: Place your hand on your forehead and gently press against it without moving your head. Push only 25% of your strength, as it has to be a pain-free exercise. Hold for 5-10 seconds and repeat 5 times. These exercises can be done in any cervical movement, such as extension, lateral flexion, or rotation, by using your hand as a resistance and pushing always at 25% of your strength. The strenght of push does not ever progress, what you will progress within isometric exercises are the time fram of push, repetitions and sets. Phase 2: Concentric Strengthening Exercises. From week 3 post-injury onwards,3 to 5 times a week. Once the pain subsides, which we would expect to happen in 2 weeks about it, gradual […]