I am 42 years old and just had my knee replaced due to osteoarthritis. Can I play sports? What should I pay attention to in my daily activities? (Tai Nguyen, Long An)
Reply:
After knee replacement surgery, it usually takes about 4-6 weeks for the patient to walk normally. After about 3-6 months, the patient can return to playing sports. Physical activity helps reduce stiffness, improve range of motion, and strengthen the muscles that support the joint.
You need to talk to your doctor and choose sports with appropriate intensity. You should not play soccer, basketball... because these are sports that require fast movement, high competition, promoting faster wear of artificial knee joints. Patients should play gentle sports such as swimming, cycling, golf...
To speed up recovery and increase the lifespan of the artificial knee joint, in addition to taking medication and doing physical therapy as prescribed by your doctor, you should note the following.
Maintain a healthy weight because being overweight or obese increases the pressure and stress on natural and artificial joints, causing them to wear out more quickly.
Daily activities : Limit kneeling, squatting, twisting, jumping or strenuous exercise after surgery; avoid lifting objects weighing more than 10 kg in the first three months after surgery.
Eat a healthy diet with adequate nutrients to promote wound healing and improve overall health. Patients should increase fiber-rich foods to reduce the risk of constipation due to side effects of pain medications or due to lack of activity after surgery.
Supplementing adequate minerals and vitamins such as calcium, iron, vitamin D, vitamin C... also supports bone integration and improves blood loss after joint replacement surgery.
See a doctor if you have a fever above 38 degrees Celsius; unusual pain, more pain than before surgery, not relieved by pain medication; the surgical wound is red, sore, or has discharge; the color and temperature of the leg on the surgical side change; nosebleeds or blood in the urine; falls that affect the surgical wound...
MSc.MD.CKI Ho Van Duy An
Orthopedic Trauma Center
Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City
| Readers ask questions about musculoskeletal diseases here for doctors to answer |
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