This article answers the question, “Can I sit in my recliner after total knee replacement surgery?” This is the question almost every total knee replacement patient asks me on my first visit to see them in their home to initiate their home physical therapy rehabilitation, about two days after the surgery. Most have already discovered…
This article answers the question” “Can I sit in my recliner chair after my total hip replacement surgery?” This is the question almost every total hip replacement patient asks me on my first visit to see them in their home to initiate their home physical therapy rehabilitation, about two days after the surgery. Most have…
Welcome to our guide on preparing your home for a successful recovery following a total knee replacement. The journey to a full recovery begins well before the actual surgery, with the steps you take to ensure your home is a safe, accessible, and comfortable healing environment. In this article, I will provide you with practical…
I have witnessed the evolution of rehabilitation techniques following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) over the past four decades of being an orthopedic physical therapist. Over that period of time, I have seen the waxing and waning of the use of the continuous Passive Motion machine. A pivotal advancement in post-surgical care initially was the adoption…
As a healthcare provider, a senior citizen, and a patient that required three medications to control my high blood pressure, I started taking L-Arginine as a dietary supplement in 2006 and it has lowered my blood pressure and decreased my need for prescription blood pressure medications dramatically. Prior to initiating L-Arginine supplementation, using three doctor-prescription…
After seeing hundreds, if not thousands of total hip replacement patients in the past 40 years, be they in the hospital immediately after surgery, in their homes a day or two after surgery, or in the outpatient clinic about three weeks after surgery, these are the things that I see that are the most important…
As an orthopedic physical therapist, I have seen hundreds, if not thousands, of total hip replacement surgeries over the more than 4 decades of treating patients as a hospital-based physical therapist, outpatient physical therapy owner/operator, and for the past several years seeing total hip replacement patients in their homes just a day or two after…
As an orthopedic physical therapist, I have treated hundreds, if not thousands, of patients with complete hip replacements over the course of the past 40 years. The one instruction that most patients do not comprehend is “Don’t cross your legs.“ This article is written for your edification of why or why not your surgeon may restrict…
As a home health physical therapist, I see total knee replacement patients in their homes within two days after the surgery. Upon leaving the hospital, often these patients are at pain levels of 4/10 or less at rest and have an excellent range of motion, but by the time I see them in their home,…
This post contains four valuable tips for sleeping through the night following total knee surgery, so you don’t wake up in the middle of the night from knee pain. In my capacity as a physical therapist, getting a good night’s sleep following total knee surgery is a common concern I hear from the hundreds of…