How to Increase Knee Range of Motion AFTER Knee Surgery?

How to increase knee range of motion AFTER Knee Surgery is a dilemma many knee pain sufferers struggle with after a knee surgery when the patient isn’t able to return to full extension and flexion in the knee joint. Most doctors and physical therapists will point to scar tissue as being the main cause of of limited range of motion (ROM). However, is that the entire truth? Can there be other factors NOT looked at by the conventional medical model preventing an increase in knee range of motion?

One of the most common questions I’ve gotten over the past 25 years.

“Bill, how do I increase the range of motion in my knees?”

Conventional thinking is the knee joint must be stretched to either break down scar tissue or lengthen tight muscles like the quads, calves or hamstrings.

When we want to increase knee range of motion after knee surgery, conventional thinking is to “push” the knee past it’s current range of motion. Many physical therapists will have their patients on their back or stomach on an examination table trying to push the “heel to the butt.”

Most of the time this will cause a tremendous amount of pain and the patient will limp out of a physical therapy session in more pain than when walked in.

This may work for some however, there is a percentage of patients that can’t deal with this level physical discomfort. Many times the traumatic experience in the PT’s office will make the patient less likely to want to come back.

The problem of limited range of motion in the knee still exists and the patient will continue to look for answers from their doctor. There are still 2 options the doctor can offer:

1.) A MUA, manipulation under anesthesia. This is where the patient is rendered unconscious during the procedure so as NOT to feel pain and resist the doctor. Here the doctor forces the range of motion in the knee while the can’t engage their neurology.

or

2.) Surgery to remove the scar tissue: In this procedure, the patient is also rendered unconscious and the doctor performs surgery to remove any scar tissue build up in the knee joint.

Both of these procedures can be quite traumatic to the patient and on the other end there is no guarantee of an increase in knee range of motion.

Is this really the best to be done for someone struggling to increase knee range of motion after a knee surgery?

I submit to you this is absolutely NOT the case!

In order for better options to present themselves, we must begin to look at how the body works differently. As a result, a different understand will emerge on how the body is able to heal itself if given the right conditions to do so.

There’s Actually Two Types of Range of Motion in the Knees:

1.) Anatomical Range of Motion

2.) Comfortable Range of Motion

The anatomical knee range of motion is what most people are familiar with and doctors and physical therapists measure progress in the knee. Which a common knee range of motion in the measures from 0 degrees in extension to 150 degrees in flexion.

They even have a fancy schmancy tool called a goniometer to measure the degree knee range of motion in the joint.

Unfortunately, what’s never taken into consideration by doctors and physical therapists is whether or not the knee hurts in that range of motion.

Now let’s look at the comfortable knee range of motion. This is the range of motion the knee can easily move in without help, force or increase in pain in the joint.

The comfortable knee range of motion is usually contained within the anatomical knee range of motion. Here’s the cool part about the comfortable knee range of motion. The more we create “Pain-Pattern Interrupts” in the comfortable knee range of motion the more the comfortable range of motion increases.

Given enough time, energy and effort creating “Pain-Pattern Interrupts” in the comfortable knee range of motion. The comfortable knee range of motion eventually matches the anatomical knee range of motion. The reason this happens is when you create a “Pain-Pattern Interrupt” in the knee by getting the pressure off of the nerves the width of an eyelash. The knee feels safe, supported and listened to enough to stop “hold on” and protecting the knee from further injury.

This is a distinction that must be studied and worked a little bit every day to completely eliminate chronic knee pain and to regain complete knee range of motion.

Click here to learn how to create “Pain-Pattern Interrupts” and increase the comfortable knee range of motion today!

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