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 an orthopedic physical therapist seeing home-bound total hip replacement patients immediately after hospital discharge, I see many patients with two-story homes who elect to reside on the first floor of the home until they are more comfortable climbing stairs. Even though they have been instructed on the stairs in the hospital by the hospital…
The research article Prehabilitation Before Total Knee Arthroplasty Increases Strength and Function in Older Adults With Severe Osteoarthritis confirms my professional opinion as a physical therapist that exercises BEFORE a total knee replacement gives the patient a big jump on the rehabilitation protocol AFTER the surgery. However, most information I see disseminated, in print as…
When I first started seeing total knee replacement patients as a physical therapist many years ago, the total knee recipient would have been in the hospital for up to 2 weeks and placed in a knee immobilizer for 6 weeks. Today the total knee replacement patients I see are all discharged within 2 days of…
As a physical therapist, having used TENS units to help with all kinds of patient’s pains on almost every body part, I was introduced to how powerful a TENS unit can be about 40 years ago, early in my career. A senior citizen presented to the physical therapy clinic at the hospital where I was…
A question I often hear from my patients before undergoing a total knee replacement: Is Total Knee Replacement Painful? Total knee replacement is a painful procedure; however, following normal post-surgical protocols, a patient should not experience constant pain at 7/10 or greater.They may experience sharp, fleeting pains above 7/10, but that pain should dissipate within…
In the past 10 years of seeing patients in their homes and starting their home physical therapy recovery process, I can say that I have seen fewer than 5 patients that require manipulation under anesthesia to regain range of motion after a total knee replacement. One thing I can say, of the patients I have…
I have been an orthopedic physical therapist for more than 40 years. For the past few years, I have been seeing total joint replacement patients in their homes, initiating a home physical therapy program, and transitioning them to an outpatient physical therapy facility of their choice to complete their rehabilitation process. Prior to being a…
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…