Redwood Orthopaedic Surgery Associates | Santa Rosa, CA

Hiking After Knee Surgery

Knee Treatment Santa RosaHaving knee replacement surgery can be life-changing— especially if you live an active life. As we head into hiking season, there’s probably more than one thing on your mind. If you have a few hikes up your sleeve that you want to try out but aren’t sure how your new knees are going to do, we have a few tips to help you have a safer, more comfortable hiking season. Let’s take a closer look.

  1. Be Cautious

Although hiking uphill may be harder on your heart and lungs, hiking downhill is a lot harder on your joints and knees. Some of our best advice that we give to our knee replacement patients as they ease back into things like hiking and skiing is to be cautious— especially when going downhill. Even though you used to be able to take a steeper route, that may not be a good idea as you’re easing back into things after surgery. Remember that the more cautious you are as you get back into things, the less likely you are to get injured.

  1. Listen to Your Body

Even though we can give you a list of things to do and a list of things to look out for after a knee replacement, only you and your body really know how it feels. Listen to your body. If your knees are in a lot of pain and you feel like something is wrong— take a break and try to elevate your knee on a rock or somewhere on the hiking trail. Or if your body is a little more tired than usual, listen to it and take it easy.

  1. Ice Afterward.

Once you get home and are resting, make sure to ice your knees) and keep them elevated— no matter how little of swelling you have. The sooner you ice your knees and get any swelling down, the easier your recovery will be.

Life after knee replacement surgery doesn’t have to be bleak in boring. In fact, it can be filled with many of the same physical activities you did before surgery— including hiking. If you want to learn more about knee replacement surgery or knee replacement surgery recovery tips, schedule an appointment at our Santa Rosa office and call us today: (707) 544-3400.

Posted in: Knee Treatment

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