Guide to Total Knee Replacement Surgery

Knee Exercise

It is important to strengthen your knee and leg prior to surgery and to graduate increase both the strength and range of motion in your new knee following surgery.
The following exercises should be done on both legs before and after surgery to improve your recovery. Do a little at a time but often. To start, do the exercises at least twice a day with 5 to 10 repetitions of each, graduate increasing the frequency.
Do all exercises slowly and with control.

Exercise # 1 Lying on your back on a bed, bend knee and hip by sliding heel along the bed toward buttocks. Your knee must always face the ceiling. Hold for count of five seconds. Return to start position.
Exercise # 2 Place a firm roll under knee. Keeping the back of knee on the roll, straighten knee to lift foot off the bed. Hold for count of five. Slowly lower foot to bed.
Exercise # 3 With opposite knee in a comfortable position, lift leg, keeping the knee straight. Slowly lower leg to the bed.
Exercise # 4 With a small roll under your ankle, push knee down to the bed. Hold for count of five. Relax.
	Exercise # 5 Sitting on a chair with your thigh supported, lift foot to straighten knee. Hold for count of five. Return foot to floor.
Exercise # 6 Sitting with foot on a smooth surface, slowly slide foot back as far as possible. Hold for count of five. Relax foot forward.
	Exercise # 7 With feet flat on the floor, push up with arms to lift yourself only partially. Hold for count of five. Relax back down.
Exercise # 8 Bend knee by lifting heel up toward buttocks. Do not move your thigh forward. Hold for count of five. Slowly lower foot to the floor.
	Exercise # 9 Slowly bend your knees, keeping heels down. Hold for count of five. Relax and stand tall.
Exercise # 10 Lift your knee as if to go up a step. Hold for count of five. Put foot back down on the floor.