Doing these exercises before your operation will help you to regain full range of movement, reduce the swelling and restore strength back into the muscles and help you recover after your surgery.
The below video is a step by step guide of the exercises to strengthen and prepare your knee. These are also some of the exercises you will be asked to continue after your operation. You should aim to perform these exercises 3 to 4 times a day, but this will be guided by the physiotherapy team.
Breathing exercises
Practice deep breathing exercises to reduce your risk of developing a chest infection. Regardless of your age and general fitness before your surgery, you are at risk of developing a chest infection, as it can take a while for your lungs to return to normal after the anaesthetic. You can do this by taking a deep breath in, holding it for three seconds and then breathing out. Aim to do at least five of these every hour.
Strength and conditioning
As part of your recovery you may meet our Strength and Conditioning coaches who support patients from 12 weeks after their surgery to keep building strength in their operated knee and to resume any previous activities and sports.