Real talk from a physical therapist on recovering strength and function faster
Suffering from knee pain due to osteoarthritis? Good news - surgery will most likely help. But patience and perseverance are required, says a CU Anschutz physical therapist.
A new episode of Health Science Radio explores recovery from knee replacement surgery with Jennifer Stevens-Lapsley, PT, PhD, FAPTA, professor of physical therapy at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
Listen to the episode:
On this episode, Stevens-Lapsley walks us through what you need to know about recovering strength and function after knee surgery. She includes thoughts on protecting your knees as you age and when you might want to start considering surgery. And she explains a little-known fact about how knee surgery tells the brain to shut down the quadriceps muscle, causing near immediate loss of strength up to 80%.
"People don't really realize how difficult it's going to be to get that muscle back up and functional," she said. "We know that after surgery, it's the quad strength that ends up limiting physical function and activities of daily living."
Stevens-Lapsley's research focuses on overcoming the shutdown of the quadriceps muscle by using neuromuscular electrical stimulation, a device that attaches to the quad to stimulate the nerves to continue contracting the muscles. In 2012, she led a study that showed a near-double rate of recovery in terms of muscle strength and physical function. Now she's attempting to demonstrate how neuromuscular stimulation can work in real-world settings across 30 clinics in Colorado and Utah.
Can neuromuscular stimulation change how people recover from knee replacement surgery? Listen to this episode of Health Science Radio to find out.
See related story: What You Need to Know About Knee Replacement Surgery - and Recovery.
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