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Advanced Knee Care

Knee Surgeon and Specialist Stefan D. Tarlow, M.D.

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How to Get Back on Your Feet Quickly After Knee Surgery

February 24, 2017 By Stefan D. Tarlow MD Leave a Comment

Predictors for Returning to Work After Total Knee Replacement


A study from Cleveland identified factors that are important in estimating a patients return to work following Total Knee Replacement surgery. Average time to return for all patients is 9 weeks.

An accelerated group returning to work in 4-5 weeks had some of these qualities: had a sense of urgency to return, were female, were self employed, had high mental health scores, had higher physical function scores, and had good overall health.
Patients with some of these qualities were likely to return to work 9 or more weeks after Knee Replacement surgery: a physically demanding job, were receiving Workman’s Compensation or had less pre operative pain.
In my practice – Advanced Knee Care – most patients return to work 4-12 weeks after Knee Replacement (a few return sooner, a few return later).
The report concluded that although the physical demands of a patients job has a moderate influence on the ability to return to work, individual characteristics including physical and mental well being and motivation are the most predictive factors for estimating return to work after Total Knee Replacement surgery.

Lifestyle Modification Key to Great Outcomes Following Knee Replacement Surgery

After recovering from knee replacement surgery, patients’ physical activity levels with their new joint were varied.
Total knee replacement is primarily for pain relief, it’s not a lifestyle intervention. After surgery patients need to change their lifestyle in order to attain expected improvement in Function and Mobility and Exercise Tolerance.
Most people who have the surgery are pleased with the results in terms of having less pain and gaining more day-to-day function. These people are not always pleased with their ability to participate in  recreational activities, such as participating in sports, yoga or gardening.
At the time of surgery, study participants reported spending about two hours a week being active, mostly doing moderate-intensity activities such as yard work, strength training and walking.
After surgery patients spent about 11 hours a week being physically active, according to findings published in The Journal of Arthroplasty.
Commitment to a lifestyle change including eating healthy, exercising regularly and avoiding harmful behaviors will go a long way towards improving a patients outcome from Total Knee Replacement surgery.

Internet Based Outpatient Physical Therapy

After recovering from knee replacement surgery, patients’ physical activity levels with their new joint were varied.

Total knee replacement is primarily for pain relief, it’s not a lifestyle intervention. After surgery patients need to change their lifestyle in order to attain expected improvement in Function and Mobility and Exercise Tolerance.
Most people who have the surgery are pleased with the results in terms of having less pain and gaining more day-to-day function. These people are not always pleased with their ability to participate in  recreational activities, such as participating in sports, yoga or gardening.
At the time of surgery, study participants reported spending about two hours a week being active, mostly doing moderate-intensity activities such as yard work, strength training and walking.
After surgery patients spent about 11 hours a week being physically active, according to findings published in The Journal of Arthroplasty.
Commitment to a lifestyle change including eating healthy, exercising regularly and avoiding harmful behaviors will go a long way towards improving a patients outcome from Total Knee Replacement surgery.

Filed Under: knee surgery, knee replacement, physical therapy Tagged With: After Surgery Care, Lifestyle Modification, Outpatient Physical Therapy

3 Frequently Asked Questions About Knee Replacement

January 30, 2017 By Stefan D. Tarlow MD Leave a Comment

Knee of a runner

  1. How Successful Are Total Knee Replacements in the First Three Years?

    A frequently asked question about knee replacement centers on the success rates of the surgery. A British Study looked in the National Registry to determine revision surgery rates of 80,697 primary Total Knee Replacements between 2003 and 2006. This was an observational study and a revision for any reason (infection, loosening, instability, fracture) was the defined end point of the study. Observational studies have many limitations, but the numbers in this study still have some validity and some interest.

    The overall primary knee replacement revision rate was 1.4% for cemented total prosthesis, 1.5 % for cement less total prosthesis, and 2.8% for uni compartmental prosthesis at three years. Patients younger than 55 years at the time of the primary TKR had the highest revision rate and those older than 75 years at the time of primary TKR had the lowest rates. Overall, this reports shows that revision rates in the first 3 years after knee replacements carried out in the NHS in England since April 2003 were low.

  2. Does Sports Participation Adversely Affect Total Knee Durability?

    The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons annual meeting was held in New Orleans last week. Paper 507 by surgeons from Mayo Clinic Rochester (including well respected Mark Pagnano, MD and Daniel J. Berry, MD) reviewed results of knee replacement patients that did not follow doctors orders and participated in heavy labor or high impact sports such as aerobics, football, soccer, baseball, basketball, jogging and power lifting.

    Contrary to accepted doctrine, at an average 7 1/2 year followup the high activity group actually did BETTER than the restricted activity patient group, with higher knee rating scores and better knee function scores.

    The authors were surprised by these findings. “We hypothesized that high-impact activities would not increase the risk of implant failure, but we did not foresee that such activities might actually improve clinical results”.

    These finding are accompanied by, you guessed it, a disclaimer; The industry is not ready or able to revise activity recommendations after knee replacement, but that possibility may exist in the not too distant future. In the meantime, surgeons and patients should continue to follow all industry recommendations relating to recovery following joint replacement surgery.

  3. Does Outpatient Physical Therapy Improve Functional Outcome After Total Knee Replacement?

    One frequently asked question about total knee replacement seems to have been answered in a recent study. Quality of life and functional outcomes after total knee replacement are of great importance to both patients and surgeons. Mockford et al. studied 150 patients after knee replacement to determine the effect on range of motion and functional outcome. Patients in one group received NO physical therapy and the study group received 6 weeks of outpatient PT.

    At one year followup there was no difference in knee function or range of motion.

Filed Under: Total Knee Replacement Tagged With: Adverse Effect, Outpatient Physical Therapy

Our Recent Posts

  • The Patient’s Guide to Medicare and Robotic Knee Replacement
  • Why Out-of-Network Doctors are a Preferred Choice for Robotic Knee Replacement
  • A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding Patello-Femoral Replacement Surgery
  • ACL Reconstruction: What to Expect Before, During, and After Surgery
  • PRP Knee Injections: A Natural Approach to Relieve Joint Pain and Promote Healing

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Scottsdale Knee Specialist & Surgeon – Stefan D. Tarlow M.D

Stefan D. Tarlow, MD, is Arizona’s premier “knees only” orthopedic surgeon.

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ARTICLES

The Patient’s Guide to Medicare and Robotic Knee Replacement

Why Out-of-Network Doctors are a Preferred Choice for Robotic Knee Replacement

A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding Patello-Femoral Replacement Surgery

ACL Reconstruction: What to Expect Before, During, and After Surgery

PRP Knee Injections: A Natural Approach to Relieve Joint Pain and Promote Healing

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  • SURGICAL TREATMENTS
    ▼
    • Robotic Mako Total Knee Replacement
    • Makoplasty Robotic Partial Knee Surgery
    • Robotic Cementless (Press Fit) Total Knee Replacement
    • ACL Reconstruction
    • Knee Arthroscopy
    • Knee Cartilage Repair Restoration Surgery
    • Subchondroplasty
    • Knee Arthritis Treatment Options
    • Patello Femoral (Knee Cap) Replacement Surgery
    • My Knee Cap Hurts
    • Hyalofast Cartilage Restoration Surgery
  • SPORTS INJURIES
    ▼
    • Basketball Knee Injuries
    • Skiing Knee Injuries
    • Soccer Knee Injuries
    • Volleyball Knee Injuries
  • CONTACT
  • Articles