Weeks 3 to 6:
By this time, most patients will be working at home, if not all. Range of motion exercises are more demanding during this time, and the goal is to achieve knee motion of at least 100 degrees by the end of the sixth week. During this time, some patients have found significant benefits from riding stationary bicycles, which may speed up recovery. Ask your doctor or physical therapist if this type of exercise is appropriate for you according to your current advances.
When you use a stationary bike, do not feel discouraged if you can’t move the pedal as you did before. This is absolutely normal as your body adapts to the implant, and it will get better in time. As you keep building strength, your range of motion will increase, and the stationary bike will become an easy task.
During this time, you may also be given neuromuscular electrical stimulation as a part of the rehabilitation protocol. Strengthening exercises are still essential, and you may need straight leg raising exercises to improve hip, hamstring, and quadriceps strength.
