Which exercises should I do at home after a knee replacement?

The core routine

Do this routine three times a day, after taking any pain relief your doctor has prescribed. Your physiotherapist may adjust it for you.

• 1. Ankle pumps: point and pull the foot twenty times to help circulation
• 2. Quad sets: tighten the thigh and press the knee down, hold five seconds, ten times
• 3. Heel slides: lying on your back, slide the heel towards your bottom as far as you can, hold five seconds, slide back, ten times; a towel looped under the foot can help
• 4. Straight leg raises: lift the straight leg to the height of the other bent knee, ten times
• 5. Seated knee bends: sitting on a firm chair, slide the foot back under the chair, hold, then forward, ten times
• 6. Knee straightening: sit with the heel on a stool and nothing under the knee for ten minutes, letting gravity ease it straight

Targets for the first six weeks

Two movements matter most. The knee should come fully or nearly fully straight, because a knee that stays bent causes a limp and aching. And it should bend enough for daily life, commonly aiming for around 90 degrees within the first few weeks and more over the following months, enough to sit, climb stairs and get in and out of the car. Your surgeon and physiotherapist will measure this at follow-up visits.

Walking and daily practice

Walk little and often around the house with your frame, crutches or stick, increasing distance each day. Practise stairs as you were taught, good leg up first and operated leg down first. Avoid sitting for long periods with the knee bent, and avoid a pillow under the knee in bed. Ice and elevation after the exercise sessions help control swelling.

Warning signs

Contact your surgeon promptly if you notice increasing redness, warmth or leakage from the wound, a fever, calf pain and swelling, sudden loss of the movement you had gained, or pain that is getting worse rather than better. Call emergency services for chest pain or breathlessness. Discomfort, stiffness and swelling during exercises are expected for weeks; steadily worsening symptoms are not.