Arthroscopy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure and the recovery timeline after it can range from around one week to several months. Typically, the recovery timeline depends on several factors, including the joint on which the arthroscopic surgery procedure was performed, whether the arthroscopic procedure involved any treatments such as joint repair, and your general state of health.
There are many things that you can do to shorten your recovery timeline after an arthroscopy, one of which is exercising. Regular exercise is crucial to restore the strength and mobility of your joint following arthroscopic surgery.
Here will talk about how soon you can exercise after knee and shoulder arthroscopy and what exercises your orthopedic doctor may recommend after an arthroscopic procedure.
Exercise After Arthroscopy
The timing and intensity of exercise following an arthroscopy procedure depends on the specific instructions and recommendations from your orthopedic surgeon. You can expect to start some gentle exercises immediately after the procedure. These exercises will be performed by your physical therapist to help promote blood circulation and prevent blood clots.
Additionally, your orthopedic surgeon or a physical therapist will also give you an information sheet with the series of daily exercises.This information sheet may consist of different exercises depending on the phase of your recovery from an arthroscopy.
Initial Exercise Program
The initial exercise program will be focused on reducing pain and inflammation, preventing joint stiffness, protecting the surgical site,and ensuring wound healing.
For knee arthroscopy, the initial exercise program may consist of exercises, such as hamstring contraction, quadricep contraction, straight leg raise, buttock tucks, and straight leg raise while standing.
On the other hand, the initial exercise program for shoulder arthroscopy may include exercises such as pendulum exercises, supine external rotation, supine passive arm elevation, scapular retraction, and shoulder shrug. These post-op shoulder arthroscopy exercises should be performed as often as the recommendation of your therapist.
Intermediate Exercise Program
The intermediate exercise program is focused on restoring the non-painful range of motion of the affected joint, reducing post-operative pain and inflammation, minimizing stress to the healing structures, and allowing individuals to be independent with their activities of daily living.
Intermediate exercise programs for shoulder arthroscopy may include strengthening exercises and range of motion exercises such as non-forceful flexion and abduction, and self-stretches among others. On the other hand, an intermediate exercise program for knee arthroscopy may include exercises, such as terminal knee extension in the supine position, straight leg raises, partial squats with the help of a chair, and quadriceps stretching while standing.
Advanced Exercise Program
Advanced exercise programs may consist of exercises that are focused on improving strength, power, and endurance. These exercises also allow patients to improve their neuromuscular control.
Advanced exercise programs for shoulder arthroscopy may consist of continuous endurance exercises, TheraBand exercises, and others. For knee arthroscopy, the exercise plan may include exercises, such as forward step-ups, lateral step-ups, terminal knee extension in the sitting position, and hamstring stretch in the supine position. The advanced program for knee arthroscopy may also involve walking, running, and riding a bike.
Arthroscopy Near Me in Dover, NJ
If you are considering arthroscopy for your knee or shoulder joint problem and are in search of a highly trained and skilled orthopedic doctorwho can perform knee arthroscopy with exceptional outcomes, visit us here at Orthopedic Associates of West Jersey. Our orthopedic surgeons are highly skilled in performing minimally invasive orthopedic surgeries like arthroscopy for a wide range of conditions such as meniscal tears, ligament tears, shoulder tendonitis, shoulder impingement, and rotator cuff tears.
To determine if arthroscopy is right for your unique orthopedic condition, make an appointment with our orthopedic doctors by calling us today at (973) 989-0888 or use our convenient online appointment request form to schedule your consultation.
