As one approaches old age, they may be required to go for knee replacement surgery. This corrective surgery can help the patient improve their movements, flexibility, and overall agility in old age. Post your knee replacement surgery, you would also be required to regularly do the exercises suggested by your doctor, take the prescribed medicines, and maintain a healthy diet to recover faster. However, your doctor may even suggest a few devices that can help your mobility after your knee replacement surgery.
To help you in this transitional phase, we have compiled a list of five such instrumental devices that you should have by your side for a faster recovery. However, for a stress-free and smooth transition, a great deal depends on where you would get these devices from! Thus, we only recommend that you choose a trusted supplier such as Safety and Mobility to purchase your post-recovery equipment.
1) Crutches / Walking canes:
Mandatory to almost every leg-related surgery, crutches and walking canes could help you move around during your recovery. However, some patients are required to not move for sometime after the surgery. You should always check with your doctor on when it would be ok for you to resume walking. Your doctor may even suggest a few exercises that you would be required to do daily. In that case, you may also be advised to go for short walks on a gentle and clear surface such as grass. For such exercises, you can make use of crutches and walking canes.
2) Wheelchairs:
Walking right after the knee replacement surgery is not recommended. Your knees are still in a position of recovering and do not have the strength to bear your body’s full weight. While some people may still be able to walk for short distances, the strength of the knee depends from one person to another. In case your doctor recommends you to not move for some days, it is advised that you get a wheelchair to facilitate movement around the house.
3) Reacher:
You should avoid climbing ladders or stairs after your knee replacement surgery. However, certain items may not be accessible to you without a climb. In that case, you could keep a reacher handy. Reachers can help you easily access items that are kept on a higher or a lower level from you. If one were to stand up on their own and reach out for these items, they may risk exerting too much pressure on their post-surgery delicate knee, which is not advisable at all.
4) Front-wheel Walker:
While crutches and regular walking canes do a good job at giving your legs the much-needed help, they still lack in providing sturdy support to balance your whole body weight. For elderly people, balancing their body weight and moving with precision is already a problem. Those who have just recently gone a knee surgery may struggle more with balancing their body on crutches. Thus, they should keep front-wheel walkers at their dispense.
Front-wheel walkers not only divert the bodyweight to their 4 study metal pillars, but they also come fitted with wheels that allow the elderly to move from one spot to another faster and smoother, without having to exert themselves.
5) Tub chair + tub transfer bench:
The bathroom is a tricky area for people who have just gotten out of knee replacement surgery. There is always a probability of slipping and falling down. As a caretaker, you should ensure that the bathroom tiles are non-slippery and there are enough bars for the patient to grab and support themselves on. However, to further make their lives easier, you can also get a tub chair since standing for a long time is not advised to those who have just undergone knee replacement surgery.
They could sit on the chair and take a shower, and to avoid any exertion in an attempt of getting up from the tub, you could also make a tub transfer bench available.
