Life after knee replacement

Knee Condition And Mobility

Once you’ve had knee replacement surgery, successfully completed rehabilitation therapy and provided there have been no other complications or risks that have materialised, you can expect a range of movement of 100-120 degrees, sufficient for all your daily tasks such as walking and climbing stairs.

Thanks to your new knee, you will be able to do many of the activities you did before your knee surgery, but with little or no pain. Most people with total knee replacement can do recreational walking, swimming, golf, driving, light hiking, recreational biking, ballroom dancing and stair climbing without difficulty.

Activities to Avoid

Even though your activity level is likely to increase, a knee replacement surgery means that high-demand or high-impact activities must be avoided. You should definitely avoid running or jogging, contact sports, jumping sports, and high impact aerobics. You should also try to avoid vigorous walking or hiking, skiing, tennis, repetitive lifting exceeding 23kgs, and repetitive aerobic stair climbing. The safest aerobic exercise is biking (stationary or traditional) because it places very little stress on the knee joint.

How Long Your Implant Should Last

The average total knee currently lasts 10-15 years before the components wear out. In some cases, worn components can be switched out for new ones, but revision surgery is always an experience surgeons and patients want to avoid if at all possible. Knee surgery has great potential to improve your quality of life and ensure that you can remain as active and vital as possible.