Why Rehabilitation Is Essential After Hip and Knee Replacement
Fizyoterapist Aydın Ali · 2 August 2026 · 1 min read
After hip or knee replacement, expecting that "I had the surgery, the rest will sort itself out" is a common misconception. The prosthesis replaces the damaged joint surface, but the muscles around it keep the weakness and the learned movement avoidance built up before surgery.
Why the early phase is critical
Strength loss progresses fast in the first weeks after surgery. Controlled exercise started early, within the loading and movement limits set by the surgeon, limits that loss and speeds recovery.
The fear-avoidance cycle
Avoiding movement out of an expectation of post-surgical pain is common, but inactivity increases joint stiffness. The physiotherapist breaks that avoidance by showing the safe limits of movement.
Getting back to daily life
A programme built around concrete goals — climbing stairs, picking something up off the floor, walking for longer — is what lets the real benefit of the prosthesis show through.
Fzt. Aydın Ali runs physician-approved rehabilitation programmes after hip and knee replacement in Bursa Nilüfer. You can book an appointment.
