Home rehabilitationSelf rehabilitation
Here are some tips to continue your rehabilitation at home: with the help of your loved ones, or alone!
Knee: Joint prosthesis, fracture, ligament repair, etc.
The following is valid for all knee operations, it is of course sometimes necessary to respect certain limitations of the load, i.e. what is the percentage of the weight of the body that one has the right to press on the leg at one point. It is sometimes also necessary to observe limitations in flexion and extension.
Here is a sequence that you can do yourself at home:
Draining massage and scar massage
Stimulation of the hollow of the knee: put the hands under the knee on either side and perform a circular movement from bottom to top
Mobilization of scars to make them move relative to the bone underneath (large scars but also small arthroscopic points)
Apricot cream or other oils every day (after manual massage)
Mobilization of the patella
Mobilize the patella laterally, transversely
Move the patella up and down
muscle training
Strengthening the muscle (weight training) is very important to regain good function of the knee.
You have to do a little at this stage, to warm up the knee for the rest of the session, and at the end of the session.
Assisted active mobilization
Now it's about getting the knee moving, partly by yourself, partly with help (active-assisted)
First in extension , i.e. to extend the knee:
Active
Passive
then, in flexion : it is a question of helping to mobilize the knee in flexion, that is to say bending it. It is advisable to make gentle movements, and the person helping you must be attentive to your signals such as: “stop, it hurts! »
If you are alone, pay attention to your own signals!
On the back
On the window
for the "physio": you have to follow the movement almost without touching, then help a little at the end, when you approach the maximum.
Self-mobilization and muscle strengthening
Here are some rehabilitation movements that you can do alone, both to mobilize and to strengthen the musculature:
Work on a sliding surface with a paw or household paper.
At the end of the extension, pull the toes towards you and lift the forefoot off the ground to also work the extension
Press the knee against a hard surface, as hard as possible and maintain 5-10 seconds, 10x in a row
finally, to strengthen your muscles differently, squeeze both legs together against a cushion
Continuation of exercises:
click to open presentation
Many thanks to Mélissa Lecoq, physiotherapist, Lausanne!