Exercise Question

Agreed.  Never do the same muscle group two days in a row.  Legs and glutes one day, core and/or upper body the next.  Alternate.

Before anything...STRETCH!!!  Then warming up (elliptical, bike) is very important to get the blood flowing to the legs.  NO TREADMILL...NO IMPACT.  Once warmed up, start your leg presses and curls.  Use the exercise bands around your ankle.  Face the bar and pull straight back to work your glutes (unless your gym has a machine for that).  No weight to start and minimum (10# or 20# band) to start.  Then finish with more bike...take time to cool down.  More reps, no weight...endurance before strength.

Start slowly.  Read the Exercise Section in the post above.  This is how you rebuild strength in your legs...this is how you get to climb stairs again normally and walk without a cane or limp.  Add weight later on gradually along with some easy treadmill...walking...NO RUNNING!!!  There is no other way.  No excuses...do the work!!!

Great info Chico Marx thank you

Good info CHICO.  I wasn't sure if I should be walking the track yet.

Yes, you can walk but zero impact.  S  T  R  E  T  C  H  !!!  Treadmill at a crawl if necessary; bike and elliptical are better  The knee cannot take any impact now or ever again.  That's why we have to remove the word "competitive" from our sports vocabulary...except for shuffleboard, tiddly-winks, and checkers.  Then out come the knives for cutthroat bridge...

Thanks CHICO.  Your daughter is impressive.  You are fortunate to have her help you.

Follow the PT's instructions. The surgern is not trained in recovery. Good luck!

Jen, that is such a good point!!!!  Thank you!!!!

Correct about the surgeon, but after the PT gets your ROM back and those sessions end, you're pretty much on your own.  That's why I always rely on a professional like my daughter. American College of Sports Medicine is the gold standard in certifications...takes two years of study and examinations to obtain (plus she has 16 ACE certifications in water aerobics, spinning, yoga, kick boxing, etc.).    She has helped me with all my rehabs (two shoulders, four knee scopes, hip replacement {especially in the therapy pool}, back fusion and now TKR).  As a graduate nutritionist, she also knows all the anatomy, physiology and biology.  After PT is over, see a certified trainer if necessary...and not those amateurs that get "certified" by their own gyms.  ACSM and ACE are THE certifications in the field. The kid's been doing this for 16 years.

She has helped me with all my rehabs (two shoulders, four knee scopes, hip replacement {especially in the therapy pool}, back fusion and now TKR).  As also a graduate nutritionist from Rutgers University, she also knows all the anatomy, physiology and biology.  After PT is over, see a certified trainer if necessary...and not those amateurs that get "certified" by their own gyms.  ACSM and ACE are THE certifications in the field. 

Rehabilitation is a process of discovery. You have to assume full responsibilty. No matter what a doctor or physical therapist says, you ultimately determine what the final outcome will be by being proactive in your recovery.  They never told me or had to tell me what I needed to do to come back after surgery.  Range of motion takes practice, not just at p/t sessions but all the time. A TKR is major surgery. My rotar cup surgery was eye opening. I had no rehab. I threw away the sling the day after surgery. My arm could only move a few inches away from my body. I would move it away from me laying in bed, climb the wall with my fingers and used the door frame for isometric pushing exercises.  I would sweep and mop the floor every day and use the good arm to guide my bad one. After the first 4 weeks I had my 1st P/T session.  The therapist who was a 2 time cancer survivor said I was more like 6 weeks out of surgery. No exercise or therapy at this time.  She recommended I continue to do what I was doing. Two weeks later I had full range of motion and never saw her again. Even with surgery and rehab you still have a diseased limb. So therapy is ongoing throughout your life. Some things work better than others. Sometimes nothing at all is better.  You should be flexible in knowing what your body tells you and how you feel over time during recovery which is a day by day challenge.  I admit that having the other knee done is on the horizon along with both hips but until I gain more strength in the knee, no f n way am I going to do the surgery.  I need to function on my own and I cannot rely on anyone to help.  So You are one of the few people who has a good therapist.  Sorry, but no therapist or doctor is going to make you well. You do 99 % of the work.  They do 1%. It works hand in hand but you are on your own.

Matt, I understand where you're coming from.  It is our responsibility to make sure we're in the best place possible before surgery because while surgery will change the knee joint, we need the muscle tone for recovery.  Chico, I'm sorry but I did smile when I read your 'warm up' of so long on the exercise bike.  Oh my goodness, if I could ever achieve that on it's own I would be well pleased LOL!  But then I can't even imagine walking without pain, so who knows:-))))