Around 754,000 knee replacements were performed in the US in 2017, and numbers have only gone up since. Knee surgery is often performed on patients whose knees have been damaged due to conditions like arthritis or accidents and injuries. Some may have knee trouble as a result of repetitive motion and overuse or other causes that make surgery inevitable.
If you’re looking for an orthopedic hospital in North Houston, TOPS has some tips to help make recovery easier:
Well ahead of your surgery, you should be taking steps to make your home safer. Make arrangements to sleep on the ground floor and avoid stairs, add fall-prevention equipment such as bathroom railings for support, and keep walking sticks and wheelchairs handy.
You should also have a recovery area where you have all your essentials near you, including phones or tablets, to contact people and entertain yourself. Keep meals easy and accessible, and do meal prep or order them if you live alone.
Exercise is an important step in minimizing downtime and recovery, both before and after surgery. Before your procedure, you should perform a few key exercises, such as leg raises, to help strengthen, stabilize, and mobilize the knee, surrounding ligaments, and tendons and build strength in the lower body. Post-op, your doctor will likely prescribe physical therapy since you may not be able to engage in rigorous exercise such as running or jogging for around six months. However, you should begin walking as soon as possible, doing exercises that aid in recovery, and easing your way back into movement.
Take advantage of this time to seek relief from day-to-day activities such as driving, cooking, or even going to work, and focus on total rest and recovery. At least for the first couple of weeks, you should rest completely, only following orders for physical therapy and at-home exercises as recommended by your physician or specialists at our orthopedic hospital in Houston. Sleep is one of the most essential components of post-op recovery, so don’t compromise on that in any way.
The orthopedic surgeons at TOPS Surgical Specialty Hospital are some of the leading specialists in the Houston area. If you suffer from an orthopedic condition, visit the TOPS website for more information about the different procedures and post-op recovery process.
On the orthopedics page of our Houston hospital, you can scroll down and find the right orthopedic specialist near you and a link to their website to make an appointment.
Phone: (281) 539-2900
Fax: (281) 715-4525
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