Knee-Replacement Surgery for the Elderly: Recovery Techniques to Know

Health & Medical Blog

When you are a caretaker for an older adult, the prospect of surgery for your loved one can be somewhat disconcerting. After all, the body does not recover as quickly from surgery when a person is a senior, so it can be a more difficult process in general. As such, when a knee-replacement surgery becomes necessary for the person you care for,  you may wonder what you can do to ensure a successful and speedy recovery. Get to know some of the ways that you can help to ease the knee-replacement recovery process and be sure to put them to use following surgery.

Massage Therapy

One of the issues with recovering from knee-replacement surgery has to do with the strength and flexibility of the muscles surrounding the knee as well as the knee joint itself. Tension in the muscles can prevent a person from being able to recover successfully from their knee-replacement surgery. It can also cause needless additional pain.

Massage therapy can help with these issues. A trained massage therapist can help to relieve the tension in the muscles surrounding the incision site. They can also help to relieve pain throughout the body that can occur from having limited mobility and from being bed-ridden for long periods of time.

Massage of the legs and back focuses on the manual manipulation of the muscle tissues in order to make them less tense and more supple. This can help your loved one to deal with overcompensation for an inflexible knee joint and with any arthritis or other issues that can occur following surgery. Massage therapy is also gentle enough that it will not cause further problems for elderly patients who may have other health problems. Contact a facility like SpineCare Chiropractic Daniel S. Wright, D.C. for further help.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is another form of treatment that can aid in the recovery process from knee replacement surgery. Acupuncture focuses on the ways that energy flows through the body. If that energy is disrupted or blocked as it is when a knee is injured or replaced, the body may need assistance in restoring that flow of energy.

An acupuncturist will help the patient to identify the problem with the flow of energy and will insert tiny needles into acupuncture points related to those problems. With a knee replacement surgery, the focus is on managing pain so that a person in recovery can make better progress in their physical therapy sessions and feel better in the meantime.

The acupuncture points include areas around the knee as well as in the torso and back. Some of the acupuncture treatments following a major knee-replacement surgery focus on general well-being and relaxation. This means acupuncture points may also be around the head and face to promote mental wellness and calm.

Now that you know a few of the treatment options that can help seniors recovery from knee-replacement surgery, you can be sure to employ them following your loved one's surgery.

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7 October 2015

introducing your daughter to the gynecologist

Having a daughter comes with a number of challenges. One challenge that you will one day need to tackle is determining when to introduce your daughter to the gynecologist. Do you take your daughter to the same gynecologist that you see or take her somewhere else? Do you wait until she gets her first period or do you take her in to learn about the menstrual cycle from the doctor? There is a long list of questions you likely have about introducing your daughter to the world of gynecology. Having gone through this twice myself, I have learned quite a bit and have included a lot of helpful information in my site to help other parents get through this complicated time a little easier.