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Exercising After a Joint Replacement Surgery
Dr. Kurt Hirshorn leads a discussion on how to properly exercise when recovering from joint replacement surgery.
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Learn more about Kurt Hirshorn, MD
Kurt C. Hirshorn, MD
Dr. Kurt Hirshorn is a Board Certified and Fellowship Trained Joint Replacement Specialist. He obtained his master’s degree in public health from the University of South Florida College of Medicine in 2001 and, his Medical Degree in 2005. Dr. Hirshorn completed his Orthopaedic training at Atlanta Medical Center and also completed additional specialty fellowship training in minimally invasive hip and knee replacement surgery at RUSH University Medical Center in Chicago, IL. in 2011. Dr. Hirshorn obtained his Board Certification through the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery in July 2013. He has worked with the leaders in the field of joint replacement surgery, minimally invasive surgery, implant design and testing. He has also worked as an assistant team physician for the Atlanta Falcons and Thrashers.Learn more about Kurt Hirshorn, MD
Transcription:
Intro: This is BayCare HealthChat. Another podcast from BayCare Health System.
Caitlin Whyte (Host): Welcome to BayCare HealthChat. I'mCaitlin Whyte. After a joint replacement surgery, you may be eager to get back to old activities and exercise with your new parts, but there are critical steps to easing your way back into exercising after a joint replacement surgery. Joining us today to talk about those steps is Orthopedic Surgeon, Dr. Kurt Hirshorn. Now Doctor, what should we immediately expect after surgery? And when could we expect to be heading home?
Kurt C. Hirshorn, MD (Guest): That's a great question. And you know, it's different for every doctor and every patient. So, I don't have a one size fits all approach, but nowadays, the process of going home seems to have shifted a lot sooner, and most of my patients are going home the same day, where they sleep in their own bed. It's been a wonderful thing for, for recovery.
Host: Well, that's awesome to hear just going back in the same day. It's so cool that we've gotten that far in advancement. So once we're back home, what are some of the best activities to get us moving in the first few weeks post-surgery?
Dr. Hirshorn: So, it's different for every surgery and every patient, but the general idea for joint replacement is to get up and move. Start getting your normal life as soon as possible. So, before we start talking about sports and activities, you know, the general idea is to get out of bed, walk, get your blood flowing. Get yourself moving a little bit more, bending, stretching, that sort of stuff. The sooner the better. So we start our patients immediately right after surgery within the hour, getting them out of bed.
Host: Oh, wow. That is so fast. So, for our most athletic patients, what sports are preferable and are there any that we should avoid for the time being?
Dr. Hirshorn: Yeah. So I guess what I'll tell you is, is, you know, the immediate after surgery then the long-term after surgery and there's thoughts on that. But right after surgery, I really don't want people playing sports, you know, team sports or, you know, running track or jumping out of an airplane or something like that. But, you know, the idea is to, to start to regain your body's awareness, you know, walking, bending, spacial awareness, that sort of stuff, because you have to kind of learn your new joints, which some people, it takes a little bit longer than others. Once you learn your body and you learn your balance and everything, then you start the things that I think most people want to do, which is sports, activities, you know, stuff like that.
Host: And then what would you say for the long-term? Are there any sports that we should maybe never go back to with our new replacement? Or can we kind of expect to go back to our old lives?
Dr. Hirshorn: You know, it it's, it's also a question of where you were beforehand and what reasonable expectations are, but, you know, I see plenty of people do all kinds of activities and sports, and that's part of the reason why people have joint replacements is to regain their mobility and their joys of physical activity. So I don't know if I have a sport that I'd say that they shouldn't do. There are some, you know, smaller details about when to start things and when not to. I think having a reasonable goal and having a game plan with your physician is a good one. And I'd say the sky's the limit.
Host: I know this is a case by case basis, but if we can speak in general terms, when should people expect to be a hundred percent or where back to where they were before they had the surgery?
Dr. Hirshorn: That's such a great question. And a hundred percent is such a tough one to say, you know, sometimes I see people that really, really do well. The way that we're doing anesthesia and pain control, they feel really good, very soon after surgery and they're amazed and they, they want to get back to what their heart's telling them that they should be doing.
And sometimes I actually see people do a little too much too soon, and that's, that's more of a problem than, you know, being patient with things. So, when should they expect and when should they be 100% is patient dependent. But, you know, I tell people to be patient with the first six weeks, for sure, because there's a, a little bit of a learning curve that happens with that. Over the next six weeks, you know, a total of three months, I'd say there'd be a little bit more recovery to have had. And so if you can give yourself three months to get back where you need to be, I think you're gonna be very happy.
Host: Well, you said there's a possibility of doing too much too soon. What are some of the complications we could run into if we are a little too eager to get going?
Dr. Hirshorn: Oh gosh, I could go on for hours about that. But, the biggest thing that I see is inflammation and that's a long answer for pain. And so if you start doing a little too much too soon before your body is fully healed from the surgery, you're going to start feeling pain, where you didn't right away. Right after surgery, you're feeling good and you decide, you want to do a fill in the blank. And then you notice that you're having a little bit of pain. And so, I tell my patients, you know, you have to do a scaled approach where you don't just go all in, right when you start feeling better. You have to slowly ramp up to whatever it is your goals are.
And so that's what I'd tell you. Obviously, there's all kinds of exciting stories I could tell you about exceptional failures, let's just say the biggest one is, you know, just having a rational approach and starting in a gradual scaled up process.
Host: Well we'll leave the gory details to another podcast it sounds like. But wrapping up here Doctor, are there any other words of advice for patients who are going into this procedure? It sounds like just letting your body rest and recover is the key thing.
Dr. Hirshorn: You know, here, here's my biggest piece of advice. In general terms, most people are extremely happy with the surgery. It's a life-changing surgery and that's what I hear over and over again. And so it's such a joy to do this for people where most people have a lot of fear before surgery.
The biggest thing I hear afterwards is they should have done it years ago. So, if you're having limitations in your life where you feel like you're having daily pain and there's things you can't do, just because of your arthritis, I would tell you to consider it. I think it's a eye-opening life-changing procedure. It's worth having a conversation with your physician about.
Host: Some great points to remember here Doctor being patient. Thank you for your time today. To learn more about our orthopedic services, head to baycare.org. And please remember to subscribe, rate and review this podcast and all of the other BayCare podcasts. For more health tips and updates, follow us on your social channels. This has been another episode of BayCare HealthChat. I'm Caitlin Whyte. Stay well.
Intro: This is BayCare HealthChat. Another podcast from BayCare Health System.
Caitlin Whyte (Host): Welcome to BayCare HealthChat. I'mCaitlin Whyte. After a joint replacement surgery, you may be eager to get back to old activities and exercise with your new parts, but there are critical steps to easing your way back into exercising after a joint replacement surgery. Joining us today to talk about those steps is Orthopedic Surgeon, Dr. Kurt Hirshorn. Now Doctor, what should we immediately expect after surgery? And when could we expect to be heading home?
Kurt C. Hirshorn, MD (Guest): That's a great question. And you know, it's different for every doctor and every patient. So, I don't have a one size fits all approach, but nowadays, the process of going home seems to have shifted a lot sooner, and most of my patients are going home the same day, where they sleep in their own bed. It's been a wonderful thing for, for recovery.
Host: Well, that's awesome to hear just going back in the same day. It's so cool that we've gotten that far in advancement. So once we're back home, what are some of the best activities to get us moving in the first few weeks post-surgery?
Dr. Hirshorn: So, it's different for every surgery and every patient, but the general idea for joint replacement is to get up and move. Start getting your normal life as soon as possible. So, before we start talking about sports and activities, you know, the general idea is to get out of bed, walk, get your blood flowing. Get yourself moving a little bit more, bending, stretching, that sort of stuff. The sooner the better. So we start our patients immediately right after surgery within the hour, getting them out of bed.
Host: Oh, wow. That is so fast. So, for our most athletic patients, what sports are preferable and are there any that we should avoid for the time being?
Dr. Hirshorn: Yeah. So I guess what I'll tell you is, is, you know, the immediate after surgery then the long-term after surgery and there's thoughts on that. But right after surgery, I really don't want people playing sports, you know, team sports or, you know, running track or jumping out of an airplane or something like that. But, you know, the idea is to, to start to regain your body's awareness, you know, walking, bending, spacial awareness, that sort of stuff, because you have to kind of learn your new joints, which some people, it takes a little bit longer than others. Once you learn your body and you learn your balance and everything, then you start the things that I think most people want to do, which is sports, activities, you know, stuff like that.
Host: And then what would you say for the long-term? Are there any sports that we should maybe never go back to with our new replacement? Or can we kind of expect to go back to our old lives?
Dr. Hirshorn: You know, it it's, it's also a question of where you were beforehand and what reasonable expectations are, but, you know, I see plenty of people do all kinds of activities and sports, and that's part of the reason why people have joint replacements is to regain their mobility and their joys of physical activity. So I don't know if I have a sport that I'd say that they shouldn't do. There are some, you know, smaller details about when to start things and when not to. I think having a reasonable goal and having a game plan with your physician is a good one. And I'd say the sky's the limit.
Host: I know this is a case by case basis, but if we can speak in general terms, when should people expect to be a hundred percent or where back to where they were before they had the surgery?
Dr. Hirshorn: That's such a great question. And a hundred percent is such a tough one to say, you know, sometimes I see people that really, really do well. The way that we're doing anesthesia and pain control, they feel really good, very soon after surgery and they're amazed and they, they want to get back to what their heart's telling them that they should be doing.
And sometimes I actually see people do a little too much too soon, and that's, that's more of a problem than, you know, being patient with things. So, when should they expect and when should they be 100% is patient dependent. But, you know, I tell people to be patient with the first six weeks, for sure, because there's a, a little bit of a learning curve that happens with that. Over the next six weeks, you know, a total of three months, I'd say there'd be a little bit more recovery to have had. And so if you can give yourself three months to get back where you need to be, I think you're gonna be very happy.
Host: Well, you said there's a possibility of doing too much too soon. What are some of the complications we could run into if we are a little too eager to get going?
Dr. Hirshorn: Oh gosh, I could go on for hours about that. But, the biggest thing that I see is inflammation and that's a long answer for pain. And so if you start doing a little too much too soon before your body is fully healed from the surgery, you're going to start feeling pain, where you didn't right away. Right after surgery, you're feeling good and you decide, you want to do a fill in the blank. And then you notice that you're having a little bit of pain. And so, I tell my patients, you know, you have to do a scaled approach where you don't just go all in, right when you start feeling better. You have to slowly ramp up to whatever it is your goals are.
And so that's what I'd tell you. Obviously, there's all kinds of exciting stories I could tell you about exceptional failures, let's just say the biggest one is, you know, just having a rational approach and starting in a gradual scaled up process.
Host: Well we'll leave the gory details to another podcast it sounds like. But wrapping up here Doctor, are there any other words of advice for patients who are going into this procedure? It sounds like just letting your body rest and recover is the key thing.
Dr. Hirshorn: You know, here, here's my biggest piece of advice. In general terms, most people are extremely happy with the surgery. It's a life-changing surgery and that's what I hear over and over again. And so it's such a joy to do this for people where most people have a lot of fear before surgery.
The biggest thing I hear afterwards is they should have done it years ago. So, if you're having limitations in your life where you feel like you're having daily pain and there's things you can't do, just because of your arthritis, I would tell you to consider it. I think it's a eye-opening life-changing procedure. It's worth having a conversation with your physician about.
Host: Some great points to remember here Doctor being patient. Thank you for your time today. To learn more about our orthopedic services, head to baycare.org. And please remember to subscribe, rate and review this podcast and all of the other BayCare podcasts. For more health tips and updates, follow us on your social channels. This has been another episode of BayCare HealthChat. I'm Caitlin Whyte. Stay well.