Summary of Tips for Regaining Full Knee Extension After Surgery

00:00:00 - 00:15:00

The video offers tips for regaining full knee extension after surgery. It is essential to educate the patient on maintaining a range of motion and use a pillow under the knee to help with extension comfortably. Stretching both the hamstring and calf can address a tight capsule, and joint moves can help in relaxing the patient or promoting blood flow. Consistency over intensity is necessary, recommending five sessions of 10-15 minutes of exercise per day rather than one session of trying to jam the knee. Soft tissue work, exercises such as quad sets and retro comb walking, and icing the knee and compression with a wrap or sleeve are also crucial.

• 00:00:00 In this section of the video, the hosts discuss strategies for restoring passive knee extension range of motion post-surgery for patients with increased tone in the hamstrings. They emphasize the importance of educating the patient on the need to maintain a range of motion in the immediate post-operative stage. They suggest the use of a pillow under the knee to help the patient achieve extension comfortably.
• 00:05:00 In this section, the speakers discuss the importance of stretching both the hamstring and calf to address a tight capsule, which is the primary issue in a post-operative knee. According to a study, capsules, and not hamstrings, are the ones that get tight. Therefore, a prolonged stretch on the knees or the collagen tissue is needed to get substantial change. Joint moves, also known as positional release or positional relaxation, can also help in relaxing the patient or promoting blood flow in the area to promote healing. However, this technique may not necessarily address the issue with the capsule, unlike prolonged stretching.
• 00:10:00 In this section of the video, the speakers discuss tips for regaining full knee extension after surgery. They mention the importance of being careful with distracting the knee, especially if there is a meniscus injury. They recommend a sustained position that releases low load long duration type stretch, which is better than joint mobilization. The speakers also emphasize the need for a consistency over intensity mindset and recommend doing five sessions of 10-15 minutes of exercise per day rather than one session of trying to jam the knee. Finally, they discuss the importance of getting rid of pain and swelling to decrease guarding and suggest working on soft tissues, including the gastrocnemius muscle.
• 00:15:00 In this section, physical therapists discuss their approach to regaining full knee extension after surgery. They first suggest elevating the leg and applying a hot pack for 5-10 minutes to see what range of motion can be achieved. They then move on to soft tissue work on the hamstring, gastroc, and knee, before engaging the knees with exercises such as quad sets and retro comb walking. The session ends with icing the knee and compression with a wrap or sleeve. They stress the importance of taking a step back and starting with simple approaches rather than being aggressive at the first sign of a problem.