​​Movements to Avoid After Surgery

​​While you should increase your activities after surgery a little at a time, there are some movements you should not do.

• Don’t jar or twist your new knee suddenly. Make sure you don’t bend it in an uncontrolled way.
• Don’t cross your legs.
• Don’t sleep with a pillow under your knee. It can cause a permanent bend in your knee or put pressure on blood vessels in your leg.

Twisting and Turning

• Always keep your toes and your upper body facing ​the same direction.
• Take small steps when turning, instead of twisting or pivoting on your leg.

 

General​ ​Guidelines

The First 3 Months after Surgery

• Walking
• Phase 1 exercises
• Swimming and other pool exercises: Be careful not to do any twisting motions such as a knee kick. Don’t use the ​pool until incision is completely healed.
• Cycling: the seat must be set high enough so that you don’t have to bend your knee too much.
• Phase 2 exercises – start when your Case Manager or physiotherapist tells you to.

After 3 Months

• Low-impact fitness exercises that don’t involve jumping, twisting, quick starts or stops, or other movements that put sudden force on your knee
• Walking on a treadmill and light hiking
• Cycling on a regular bicycle. Adjust the seat height as often as you need to let your knee bend comfortably
• Golfing
• Slow, gentle dancing
• Light hiking
• Gardening: Use raised beds or long-handled tools so you don’t kneel on your new knee.

Activities NOT to Do

• ​Do not lift and push heavy objects (25 lbs. or 11 kg)
• Do not do any activities involving jumping, twisting, quick starts or stops, or other movements that put sudden force on your knee
• Do not do contact sports

Sexual Positions​

Many people have questions about intimate relations after a knee replacement. While it’s usually safe for your knee joint about 4 to 6 weeks after surgery, you also have to feel ready and be comfortable.

For the first 3 months you have to protect the new joint. These pictures show you the positions that are safe and the ones that aren’t safe for your new knee joint.

• Tell your partner what’s comfortable or if a position causes pain.
• Make sure you’re comfortable before you start. Using pillows may help.
• No sudden movements.
• Make sure your partner doesn’t put their full weight on your new knee joint.

Safe Positions for the Knee Joint

 

 

 

 

​Positions Not Safe ​for the Knee Joint

Knee bends too much.

​

Too much pressure on knee.

*Illustrations from Returning to Sexual Activity following Joint Replacement Surgery (Vancouver Coastal Health, 2013) and Sex after Joint Replacement Surgery (London Health Sciences Centre, 2013)