Pre op exercises for total knee replacement (2024)

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10 Exercises Before Knee Replacement Surgery

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Medically reviewed by Gregory Minnis, DPT, Physical Therapy — By Samuel Greengard — Updated on April 13, 2020

Exercises you do before knee replacement surgery can strengthen your knee, improve flexibility, and help you recover faster.

There are numerous exercises you can do at home. But it’s important to speak to your surgeon and physical therapist before you start any new exercise regimen.

Jamie Nelson, PT, DPT, offers insights into how you can strengthen your muscles before surgery. Doing these exercises will allow rehab to go more quickly and effectively.

Begin with 5 to 10 repetitions of each exercise twice a day the first week, then increase to 10 to 15 repetitions by week two, and finally move up to 15 to 20 repetitions by week three.

This exercise helps build the quadriceps muscle that attaches to the knee.

Lie on your back.
Tighten the muscles in the front of your thigh by pushing the back of your knee down toward the floor or bed.
Hold for 5 seconds and then release.
Perform up to 3 sets of 5 to 20 repetitions.

This exercise is crucial in building your hip abductor muscles located in the side of the buttocks. These muscles stabilize your pelvis while you are standing and walking.

Lie on your side.
Lift your leg straight up toward the ceiling to a distance of about 1 1/2 to 2 feet from your other leg.
Lower your leg and repeat.
Perform up to 3 sets of 10.
Lie on your back and place your injured leg flat on the floor or bed while bending the other leg.
Raise your straightened leg up about 12 inches and hold it there for 5 seconds.
Slowly lower your leg.
Perform up to 3 sets of 5 to 20 repetitions.

These leg raises will help build your quadriceps and hip flexor muscles. This is especially important for regaining strength after surgery.

Lie on your back and bend your uninjured knee so your foot is flat on the floor.
Tighten your injured thigh and lift your straight leg to the height of your opposite knee.
Hold for 2 seconds at the top and slowly lower to the starting position.
Perform up to 3 sets of 5-20 repetitions.

This works the hip external rotators and part of your abductors. Both are important for early ambulation and balance.

Lie on your side with the injured knee pointed toward the ceiling.
Keeping your heels together, open and close your legs like a clamshell.
Perform up to 3 sets of 5 to 20 repetitions.

This helps maintain your range of motion prior to your surgery.

Sit in a stable chair and bend your knee back as far as possible.
Hold it for 5 seconds and then return it to the resting position.
Perform up to 3 sets of 5 to 20 repetitions.

This helps strengthen the quadriceps muscle through its full range of motion.

Sit in a stable chair and raise your leg until it’s straight.
Hold the position for 5 seconds.
Slowly lower your leg.
Perform up to 3 sets of 5 to 20 repetitions.

You probably will have to use a cane or walker immediately after surgery. This exercise will strengthen your triceps, which are important muscles for using either assistive device.

Sit in a sturdy chair with arms.
Grasp the arms of the chair and push down on them while raising your body and straightening your arms and elbows.
Slowly lower yourself back onto the chair. This will help strengthen your triceps so they can hold you up when you have weakness after surgery.

Lie on the floor or a bed and place a rolled blanket or large can under your injured knee. Straighten your leg and the knee and hold the position for 5 seconds. Slowly lower your leg down and rest. Make sure the back of your knee stays in contact with the object the entire time and the small of your back remains on the floor. This exercise also helps strengthen the quadriceps muscle.

This helps strengthen your hamstrings and the gluteal muscles. These muscles are important for getting in and out of chairs and cars.

Lie on your stomach with your legs straight and then slowly bring your injured, straight leg toward the ceiling.
Hold for 2-3 seconds.
Slowly lower your leg.
Perform 3 sets of 5-20 reps.

This exercise is crucial for maintaining balance and reducing the risk of falls. Perform this exercise as many times as you can per day.

Place yourself in front of a countertop or waist-level bar.
Hold onto the bar and stand on your affected leg for 30 seconds.
Try to hold the bar as lightly as you can to challenge your balance.

Spend at least 15 minutes twice a day doing these exercises. Your ability to build up strength in the muscles around your knee prior to the surgery will greatly impact the speed and quality of your recovery.

Last medically reviewed on April 13, 2020

How we reviewed this article:

Healthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. We avoid using tertiary references. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

Activities after knee replacement. (2018).
orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/recovery/activities-after-knee-replacement
Kolasinski SL, et al. (2020). 2019 American College of Rheumatology/Arthritis Foundation guideline for the management of osteoarthritis of the hand, hip, and knee.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/art.41142

Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.

Current Version

Apr 13, 2020

Written By

Samuel Greengard

Edited By

Yvette Brazier

Medically Reviewed By

Gregory Minnis, DPT

Copy Edited By

Amy Whitley

Share this article

Medically reviewed by Gregory Minnis, DPT, Physical Therapy — By Samuel Greengard — Updated on April 13, 2020

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10 Exercises Before Knee Replacement Surgery

Health Conditions
- Featured
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  - IBD
  - Migraine
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  - Rheumatoid Arthritis
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- Articles
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  - Bipolar Disorder
  - Cancer
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  - Chronic Pain
  - Cold & Flu
  - COPD
  - Depression
  - Fibromyalgia
  - Heart Disease
  - High Cholesterol
  - HIV
  - Hypertension
  - IPF
  - Osteoarthritis
  - Psoriasis
  - Skin Disorders and Care
  - STDs
Discover
- Wellness Topics
  - Nutrition
  - Fitness
  - Skin Care
  - Sexual Health
  - Women's Health
  - Mental Well-Being
  - Sleep
- Product Reviews
  - Vitamins & Supplements
  - Sleep
  - Mental Health
  - Nutrition
  - At-Home Testing
  - CBD
  - Men’s Health
- Original Series
  - Fresh Food Fast
  - Diagnosis Diaries
  - You’re Not Alone
  - Present Tense
- Video Series
  - Youth in Focus
  - Healthy Harvest
  - No More Silence
  - Future of Health
Plan
- Health Challenges
  - Mindful Eating
  - Sugar Savvy
  - Move Your Body
  - Gut Health
  - Mood Foods
  - Align Your Spine
- Find Care
  - Primary Care
  - Mental Health
  - OB-GYN
  - Dermatologists
  - Neurologists
  - Cardiologists
  - Orthopedists
- Lifestyle Quizzes
  - Weight Management
  - Am I Depressed? A Quiz for Teens
  - Are You a Workaholic?
  - How Well Do You Sleep?
- Tools & Resources
  - Health News
  - Find a Diet
  - Find Healthy Snacks
  - Drugs A-Z
  - Health A-Z
Connect
- - Breast Cancer
  - Inflammatory Bowel Disease
  - Psoriatic Arthritis
  - Migraine
  - Multiple Sclerosis
  - Psoriasis

Medically reviewed by Gregory Minnis, DPT, Physical Therapy — By Samuel Greengard — Updated on April 13, 2020

Exercises you do before knee replacement surgery can strengthen your knee, improve flexibility, and help you recover faster.

There are numerous exercises you can do at home. But it’s important to speak to your surgeon and physical therapist before you start any new exercise regimen.

Jamie Nelson, PT, DPT, offers insights into how you can strengthen your muscles before surgery. Doing these exercises will allow rehab to go more quickly and effectively.

Begin with 5 to 10 repetitions of each exercise twice a day the first week, then increase to 10 to 15 repetitions by week two, and finally move up to 15 to 20 repetitions by week three.

This exercise helps build the quadriceps muscle that attaches to the knee.

Lie on your back.
Tighten the muscles in the front of your thigh by pushing the back of your knee down toward the floor or bed.
Hold for 5 seconds and then release.
Perform up to 3 sets of 5 to 20 repetitions.

This exercise is crucial in building your hip abductor muscles located in the side of the buttocks. These muscles stabilize your pelvis while you are standing and walking.

Lie on your side.
Lift your leg straight up toward the ceiling to a distance of about 1 1/2 to 2 feet from your other leg.
Lower your leg and repeat.
Perform up to 3 sets of 10.
Lie on your back and place your injured leg flat on the floor or bed while bending the other leg.
Raise your straightened leg up about 12 inches and hold it there for 5 seconds.
Slowly lower your leg.
Perform up to 3 sets of 5 to 20 repetitions.

These leg raises will help build your quadriceps and hip flexor muscles. This is especially important for regaining strength after surgery.

Lie on your back and bend your uninjured knee so your foot is flat on the floor.
Tighten your injured thigh and lift your straight leg to the height of your opposite knee.
Hold for 2 seconds at the top and slowly lower to the starting position.
Perform up to 3 sets of 5-20 repetitions.

This works the hip external rotators and part of your abductors. Both are important for early ambulation and balance.

Lie on your side with the injured knee pointed toward the ceiling.
Keeping your heels together, open and close your legs like a clamshell.
Perform up to 3 sets of 5 to 20 repetitions.

This helps maintain your range of motion prior to your surgery.

Sit in a stable chair and bend your knee back as far as possible.
Hold it for 5 seconds and then return it to the resting position.
Perform up to 3 sets of 5 to 20 repetitions.

This helps strengthen the quadriceps muscle through its full range of motion.

Sit in a stable chair and raise your leg until it’s straight.
Hold the position for 5 seconds.
Slowly lower your leg.
Perform up to 3 sets of 5 to 20 repetitions.

You probably will have to use a cane or walker immediately after surgery. This exercise will strengthen your triceps, which are important muscles for using either assistive device.

Sit in a sturdy chair with arms.
Grasp the arms of the chair and push down on them while raising your body and straightening your arms and elbows.
Slowly lower yourself back onto the chair. This will help strengthen your triceps so they can hold you up when you have weakness after surgery.

This helps strengthen your hamstrings and the gluteal muscles. These muscles are important for getting in and out of chairs and cars.

Lie on your stomach with your legs straight and then slowly bring your injured, straight leg toward the ceiling.
Hold for 2-3 seconds.
Slowly lower your leg.
Perform 3 sets of 5-20 reps.

This exercise is crucial for maintaining balance and reducing the risk of falls. Perform this exercise as many times as you can per day.

Place yourself in front of a countertop or waist-level bar.
Hold onto the bar and stand on your affected leg for 30 seconds.
Try to hold the bar as lightly as you can to challenge your balance.

Last medically reviewed on April 13, 2020

How we reviewed this article:

Activities after knee replacement. (2018).
orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/recovery/activities-after-knee-replacement
Kolasinski SL, et al. (2020). 2019 American College of Rheumatology/Arthritis Foundation guideline for the management of osteoarthritis of the hand, hip, and knee.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/art.41142

Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.

Current Version

Apr 13, 2020

Written By

Samuel Greengard

Edited By

Yvette Brazier

Medically Reviewed By

Gregory Minnis, DPT

Copy Edited By

Amy Whitley

Share this article

Medically reviewed by Gregory Minnis, DPT, Physical Therapy — By Samuel Greengard — Updated on April 13, 2020

List of exercises for rehabilitation after knee arthroplasty | Patient-mt.ru

Orthopedic rehabilitation at Reithof Park Clinic

This type of training was created specifically for the 1st week of the postoperative period after knee arthroplasty. Exercises are designed to increase the speed of rehabilitation.

Exercise should be performed during the first month after surgery

Exercise is done daily at least 3 times a day.

Each individual exercise should be repeated 10 times.
The clinic's specialists recommend exercising as often as possible, but with multiple sets. Frequency is more important here than large, but single loads.
In addition, it is very important not to make sudden movements during training. Exercises should be done progressively and evenly up to the possibly tolerable border of pain, while maintaining measured breathing.
The correct position of the axis - legs, ankles, knee joint and hip joint should be monitored. They must form a single line.

Lying training complex:

You should take a comfortable position, lying on your back, stretch your legs.

Training complex №1

Starting position: Lie on your back and stretch both legs.

The exercise is performed as an alternating movement of the feet. They need to be pulled away from you and then directed towards you.

Training complex №2

Starting position: you should lie on your back and bend your healthy leg at the knee, while the operated leg should be extended. To perform this exercise, it is best to place a roller or a towel twisted into a roller under the knee cavity so that the leg acquires a slightly bent position.

The exercise is performed as lifting the heel of the operated leg so that the knee is straightened. In this position, you need to hold for 10 seconds and smoothly return the leg to its original position.

Training complex №3

Starting position: you should lie on your back and stretch your healthy leg, while the operated limb should be slightly bent at the knee joint and put on the heel.

The exercise is performed as an active pulling of the heel to the buttock as much as possible, but, without lifting it off the floor, the knee should clearly look up, until the state of tension in the knee joint, then smoothly return to its original position.

Training complex №4

Starting position: you should lie on your back and bend both legs at the knees, while the feet should be located on the floor.

The exercise is performed as alternately pulling the foot up in a position where the heel remains in place.