Physical Therapy After a Knee Replacement

DePuy Knee Lawsuit News

The DePuy Knee Replacement System often fails before a patient can complete routine physical therapy

Friday, May 11, 2018 - A common problem with the DePuy knee replacement system is that too often the device fails and needs to be repaired or replaced as soon as a person finishes their rehabilitation from the initial surgery, not nearly the 15 to 20 years that the company promised that it will last. Unlike most surgeries where the recovery period can be as little as a month, patients that undergo a total knee replacement face a lengthy and painful recovery, rehabilitation and physical therapy that can take a year or more. Most knee replacements today are performed on senior citizens in less than the optimal physical condition and therefore their recovery period can last even longer. The knee joint is unlike other joints in the body in that it is required to bear a person's full weight on every step, thousands of times per day, therefore, anything less than a total physical recovery can result in a catastrophic failure. More is expected from an artificial knee than any other joint in the body.

According toWebMD, the basic element in recovering from total knee replacement surgery is to allow the leg time heal. Healing begins at the two points where the tibia and fibula were severed and the tissues that hold the knee and bone are scraped away when the knee is removed and discarded. Once a patient is comfortable that their knee is healing properly they can begin the process of physical therapy to strengthen the thigh, hamstring, and calf muscles and the muscles surrounding the knee in order to restore their mobility. A patient's physical therapy begins with the simple exercise of walking with a nurse or hospital attendant and with a walking device the day after surgery in an attempt to improve the blood flow and prevent clotting, a common side effect of invasive knee replacement surgery. A knee replacement patient also has to learn how to use a walker, crutches, how to bathe, how to dress and how to use the toilet. When discharged from the hospital patients should make sure that there are no unusual obstacles in their home that could trip them up and cause them to reinjure the knee. It is advisable for a knee replacement patient to get to the gym at least three times per week as soon as possible after the initial physical therapy and work with a physical trainer on the leg machines to strengthen the quadriceps, hamstring, and calf muscles.

It is important not to begin physical therapy until the soreness in the knee replacement area subsides or is tolerable and to monitor your pain levels as an infection can occur. A serious infection or a faulty knee device can be mistaken for the everyday aches and pains of physical therapy. Many Knee replacement patients have reported being in more pain after their initial surgery than they were before having surgery and that is an indication that the knee device is not working properly.

Failure of a knee replacement can result in the knee locking and cause a catastrophic fall and serious injuries. Knee replacement patients also report that the knee never bonded sufficiently to their tibia (shin bone) and they were in constant pain from day one. Going up and down stairs or getting in and out of an automobile was out of the question. An unacceptably high number of DePuy knee replacement patients have experienced extreme pain that required a revision surgery to repair or actually replace the original knee replacement device. So many DePuy knee replacements have failed prematurely that the company now advertises a new version of the knee replacement device that attempts to correct the various problems that occur with the original device.

DePuy has paid out hundreds of millions of dollars in joint replacement lawsuits and DePuy knee lawsuits are being filed at a high rate now.

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