“What is a Knee Reconstruction?”

Image above is from Google photo bucket.

The knees are usually taken for granted, and till the knee is in distress is when we will start to notice that the value of our knees. The knees help us to walk, climb, sit or kneel thanks to the mobility of the knees.

• The knee is a complex hinge joint and is held together by four ligaments.
• A ligament is not only designed to hold bones together, it also provides the joint with stability and mobility to move.
• There are ligaments on both sides of your knee known as Collateral ligaments and two ligaments deep inside your knee. These latter cross over each other and are called Anterior Cruciate ligament (ACL) and Posterior Cruciate ligament (PCL). 

Ligaments play a large role in bracing your knee joints for these activities. But when you injure a ligament, you may feel as though your knees will not allow you to move or even hold you up. 

Knee Reconstruction

Drawing above is taken from Google photo bucket.

A knee reconstruction involves the replacement of the torn ligament with a “new” one. This typically comes from a couple of hamstring
 

A Knee reconstruction will give you a 90% chance of returning to the level of activity you were at before your injury.

Rehabilitation

It is important that you choose the right treatments to get the thigh muscles toned and active again. Be cautious about overworking the hamstrings in the first six weeks after surgery. Patients are often shown how to do isometric exercises for the hamstrings. Isometrics work the muscles but keep the joint in one position.

As the rehabilitation program evolves, more challenging exercises are chosen to safely advance the knee's strength and function. Specialized balance exercises are used to help the muscles respond quickly and without thinking. 

This part of treatment is called neuromuscular training. If you need to stop suddenly, your muscles must react with just the right amount of speed, control, and direction. After ACL surgery, this ability doesn't come back completely without exercise.

Neuromuscular training includes exercises to improve balance, joint control, muscle strength and power, and agility. Agility makes it possible to change directions quickly, go faster or slower, and improve starting and stopping. These are important skills for walking, running, and jumping, and especially for sports performance.

Getting full knee mobility back after a knee reconstruction

After having a knee replaced there are several important aspects to getting the knee and entire leg affected back into mobility.

The hamstring is a vital part of bringing the knee back it’s mobility, below are a few exercises to consider:

1. Standing Hamstring Stretch, place your affected leg up onto a chair in front   of you. With your leg hanging you lean forward getting your torso over your knee and slowly and gently press down on your leg above the knee with both hands. The downward pressure you produce should put a slow passive stretch on your hamstring muscles. Hold this position for a slow count of  10 seconds.

2. Sit at the end of a chair and to be sure not to get too far out that you end up on the floor. Hold your affected leg out straight placing the heel on the floor. Again lean into the knee gently with both hands and hold for a slow count of 10 seconds. 

3. While sitting in a recliner with your leg up or, laying down in bed be sure that there is an opening or space directly underneath your knee gently contract or tighten your thigh muscles as you tighten your thighs your hamstrings will relax causing them to stretch. Hold this exercise also for a slow count of 10.

The exercises listed above are just a small sample of many that can be done to get the required results. What exercise or exercises you choose to do will depend on your overall physical condition and what exercises you feel are more effective.

By working diligently on getting your leg to fully extend after the knee surgery will be just as important if not more on establishing a smooth functional gait or walking pattern in the months and years ahead. By having a good heel-toe gait you have a smoother stride, less energy used to walk with, less chance of a fall when you are moving your feet properly, and less hip and back pain which is possible if your gait mechanics are not sound.

Give these exercises a try or consult with your orthopedic surgeon and physical therapist for more details and information on the importance of strong and flexible hamstrings after surgery.

Ok, I hope the information I have place here has help answer some question or if you have any further queries, just let me know and I will get back to you.

Thank you for your time in reading this article.

This article was brought to you by 'Precision Massage Clinic' located 1 minute walk from Bankstown Station.