Case Study - Pre-habilitation before a Total Knee Replacement

AP is a 64 year old woman who was referred to AquaPhysio 6 weeks prior to her total knee replacement, to be given a prehab program to strengthen and mobilise her knee in a low impact environment to both reduce surgery risk as well as lead to better post-surgery recovery.

The water allowed her to work on her range of motion, flexibility, muscular strength and cardiovascular health in an environment where buoyancy, gravity, and hydrostatic pressure work with her. Following her aquatic physiotherapy sessions before surgery, she felt stronger and that her balance had improved which put her in a better place to recover from the surgery afterwards and lead to a return to her previous level of function.

Initial treatment consisted of pool walking, strengthening exercises for her knee against the water resistance, as well as balance exercises to establish greater proprioception and coordination in her movements. Post-surgery she has returned to AquaPhysio for rehabilitation and is steadily progressing; she is currently focusing on her cardiovascular health and strengthening her lower body to improve her mobility and strength on land.