I think we all hear it at some point in our life. “You will know when you need to get your knee replaced.”
I knew in February of this year. I was walking across the street in Kauai, Hawaii and all of a sudden, click. I knew immediately that I could not put any weight on my right leg. I had been in touch with my primary care physician, and I was going to start the process of contacting a surgeon and scheduling a joint replacement when I got back from my Hawaiian vacation. At this point, I had done my research and had exhausted all other nonsurgical options. The recent event in Hawaii eliminated any procrastination on my knee replacement. I returned home to the San Francisco Bay Area, arranged to have the prerequisite x-rays taken and met with the surgeon who would operate on my knee.
This knee had first proven problematic 17 years before, and I had a meniscus repair seven years ago. My answer for my knee issues was always to get in the swimming pool. Laps, laps and more laps were swam in the pool, followed by deep water aerobics and water walking. The ladies in my deep water aerobics classes were subjected to my series of exercises that I hoped would strengthen my core muscles, my quadriceps and gluteals. Using both literature from the surgeon and the internet, I set out to spend time in the pool daily. Swim a lap, do exercise, swim a lap and do an exercise, and so on.
As you will be reminded, joint replacement involves surgery and knee replacement is classified as major surgery. The best advice you will hear is “do your exercises!” When I was cleared to continue with my physical therapy, I got back in the saddle so to speak, and set out to do some of those exercises in the pool. Below is a list of exercises that may help in your knee replacement recovery.
Knee replacement tips
A belt is useful if this form of exercise is new to you. These are some of the exercises that I found easy to adapt to a water environment. These exercises will also help you step back into travel.
Sit kicks
Leg lifts
Kick back
Kick up
Cross country
Bicycling
Marching
Rock climbing
If You Go:
Soda Aquatic Center
Campolindo High School
300 Moraga Road
Moraga, California 94556
This is a guest post by Margaret G. Shasky a Certified Lifeguard and Deep Water Aerobics Instructor at Soda Aquatic Center in Moraga, California. Photos courtesy of travel writer and water aerobics devotee Nancy D. Brown. This article reflects her experiences with knee replacement surgery and in no way reflects any medical diagnosis. Please consult your doctor before beginning a swimming or water aerobics exercise regime.