| The decision to have a full knee replacement | | | | The next phase is when you really need to be |
| operation is usually a long time coming. As you | | | | careful. You may think your knee is ready to handle |
| research the surgery itself, preparations you should | | | | certain things it truly is not capable of yet. Newfound |
| make and details about recovery, you may find | | | | freedom of walking with a walker or cane can usually |
| yourself overwhelmed with advice and tips from | | | | be accomplished at this point, but be sure to not |
| friends, family and strangers on the internet. To | | | | overdo it. The final stage is the long-term healing. |
| simplify things a bit, here is a generalized sequence of | | | | Your surgeon will probably tell you a year is about |
| recovery that most patients go through. To answer | | | | the time frame you can expect to be fully healed at. |
| the question of what the duration of stiffness after | | | | Before this amount of time has passed however, |
| total knee replacement surgery is, read on. | | | | you should be able to perform many basic |
| Your surgeon may or may not have discussed the | | | | high-impact activities within reason and the duration |
| actually healing process with you yet. As you heal, | | | | of stiffness after total knee replacement should not |
| your knee will go through three fairly distinct stages | | | | be a topic of discussion anymore. By the end of this |
| of rehabilitation. As a patient undergoing an intensive | | | | phase, you will have achieved the highest range of |
| surgery like full knee replacement, it is critical for you | | | | motion and lack of stiffness you can expect to get |
| to understand what you can expect once the | | | | out of your artificial knee. |
| surgery is in the past and you are doing your best to | | | | If you want to decrease the duration of stiffness |
| speed up the healing process. The first phase is | | | | after total knee replacement to far under the final |
| undoubtedly the most painful with accurately | | | | stage of healing, there are certain things you must |
| descriptive words like swelling, throbbing and | | | | incorporate into your everyday life. Exercising |
| uncomfortable stiffness. To help decrease the | | | | methods will increase mobility and decrease recovery |
| duration of stiffness after total knee replacement, | | | | time while the right diet will keep your weight down |
| pumping the knee back and forth five or ten times is | | | | and prevent unneeded stress to be put on your |
| recommended. It can loosen up the knee and | | | | knee as it heals. |
| prevent spasms. | | | | |