How to Cycle With a Knee Replacement

Therapeutic recovery can help heal your body and allow the muscles, joints and tendons to rebuild themselves. It is important for persons with injuries to make therapy a part of recovery. Therapy includes range of motion, functional movements and retraining the muscles how to move. The recovery process for a knee replacement involves stretching the knee, walking on the knee, muscular concentration exercises and biking with the knee.

Things You'll Need

• Walker
• Recumbent bike

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Instructions

• 1

  Apply a neoprene brace to the knee. Your knee will be weak and unstable from the surgery and a neoprene brace will provide stability and form to allow you to ride properly.

• 2

  Place your feet on the pedals so that the toes are hanging off the pedal. Adjust the seat so that your legs are slightly bent through the entire cycling motion. By having the seat in the wrong place you will add tension to the exercise and potentially do more harm than benefit.

• 3

  Press down using your heel rather than the ball of the foot. The body is a kinetic chain and placing pressure on the toes will also apply pressure to the knee, quadriceps and hip flexors. By pressing with your heels you allow the hamstrings and glutes to provide power while still allowing the knee to be active. Try to ride for 2 to 3 short bursts of 2 to 3 minutes and increase your times weekly. As your knee grows stronger you will be able to ride longer. Do not increase the resistance.

• 4

  Stretch the knee by preforming a standing hamstring contraction. A hamstring contraction is done by lifting the heel toward your buttocks while leaving the knee pointing toward the ground. Lynn Snyder-Mackler, Alumni Distinguished Professor of Physical Therapy at the University of Delaware, recommends knee extensions as well. While sitting, extend your foot straight out so that your leg is parallel to the ground. Repeat both exercises for 10 repetitions