How To Do Stairs & Why Does It Hurt? Exercise Ideas To Help: Total Knee Replacement

[@MarkPersian]

Guys, I had mine 7 months ago.... let me tell you, do your therapy the liner progress in first 3 to 6 months... all of sudden is exponential.... Now I believe the light at the end of tunnel... Do what Samantha is telling you... the reward will come all of a sudden... good luck

[@minkeyman2]

I’m 5 months post double knee replacement and going down stairs has been the hardest part of recovery. I wish I had seen this excellent video earlier but I will do the exercises now to build up the strength in my knees. Please remember that some of us have had double knee replacement and there is no good leg to lead with! There is very little content around on double replacement physio. Maybe that’s a gap you’d like to address. Many thanks for all your videos to date.

[@jsagaria]

I can’t imagine what double replacement means,, And how hard it is… makes me feel like I have such an easy way with my good leg.. I hope you did well,

[@dougbrodsky3745]

You should go see a mental health provider as whoever talked you into that proved you need help. Lol

[@minkeyman2]

Everything went very well thank you. For me it made sense because both knees were equally bad. also it's one operation, one dose of anaesthetic and one course of physio. I found it took a full 12 months to be back to 100% but there was a lot of rubbish on the internet about the recovery suggesting that if you didn't get full flex by 6 weeks then that was all you would get. if you keep working, it keeps getting better. I got most flex from 6 weeks out to 6 months. I now have full 130 degree bend on both knees and no pain.@@jsagaria

[@minkeyman2]

Doing both together made sense for me as both knees were shot. After the first few days of real pain it got progressively better. Now, after a year they're perfect at a time when i'd just be going back for my second op. One op, one anaesthetic and one physio. It worked for me ... crazy? ...YES!!!!@@dougbrodsky3745

[@erniebuckman9947]

Dr. Sam thank you so much .I am 76 and my wife passed 2 years ago. I go Tuesday to get my knee replaced. I have a file of your video to look at to see what to do. Thanks again. Nothing comes easy.

[@dr.samanthasmith]

You will do great! Stay on top of elevating and icing. Reach out to me with any questions! You’re wife is looking over you ❤️

[@erniebuckman9947]

@dr.samanthasmith Thanks Doctor will do. She always does.

[@starrbeeler629]

Good luck Ernie !! I just had total knee replacement two months ago and doing well and I am 73 !! Physical therapy is very important to have so be sure to go !!

[@jackiefilshie8390]

Thank you. Very informative video. Now 8 weeks post op. Found going up fairly easy! Going down is a challenge. I am in the U.K. and have had my patella replaced. I will be starting doing these exercises today. I am determined that I will conquer going down stairs. Thanks for your very helpful videos.

[@melissagraham4569]

Excellent exercises- this so much more precise (and accessible) than what I was told at the hospital

[@tonymadline9928]

Thank you for your feedback. I start my physical therapy next week but I definitely will include some of your exercises to do at home. Your videos are very helpful with great information. Thank you doctor.

[@forbiddenquest1972]

I just got this new Total joint coordinator position... You are one of the greatest people that are helping me that I find on KZbin... Thank you for your awesomeness keep up the fantastic very necessary teachings

[@mawashamatseleng2535]

Very informative. Ive done my left knee and wasn't told of most of the exercises. Thanks alot doctor 🙏

[@kastoorikaranth22]

I'm 4 months past Both knee replacement surgery and I comfortable with the Climbing up and down the Stairs

[@carmi.3415]

Great, practical information. Thank you, Dr.

[@dr.samanthasmith]

Glad it was helpful!

[@RoxanneandSteveBragg]

Thank you so much! 11:20

[@diliposwal5]

Very nice presentation.Gives tips to climb steps up and down of stairs. Thanks .

[@Diana-007]

Your teaching is the best! No nonsense just great information and demonstrations, I had my total knee replacement 5 days ago and whilst the exercises given by the physio in hospital were welcome they were disjointed (excuse the pun!) concentrated on strengthening and given without real explanation so you have been a godsend! I’m working my way through your great value succeed course and will not be straying from your evidenced based advice I even gave your contact information to the physio team in the hospital UK (subtley) they could learn a lot from your teaching style and expertise. I’m pushing through these early days, lack of sleep is an issue, low HB and limited access to pain medication due to allergy is problematic but icing is really helping, onwards and upwards as they say! Thank you Dr Smith I feel I’m not alone with this. 🥰🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇬🇧

[@aldaswaby-thorne3842]

Great suggestions!

[@crucitasquillace5072]

Such great information. Thank you. ❤

[@jvscalia]

Thanks for producing this video. How should the exercises be adapted for bilateral knee replacements?

[@lindaelston4728]

I’m 9 weeks out, and I sure understand this!!! I was doing the 4 inch step at PT, but had so much trouble, so I’m on the 2 inch for now!

[@auntiemolly3846]

Great information. I needed that workout at the end. Thank you.

[@robertfantauzzo491]

Great video. I will have many stairs to climb

[@bdasswarrior]

I'm 15 weeks PO. I've started trying to walk normally up and down instead of one step at a time. For me, it's much more painful going up than down.

[@GloriaRodriguez-u9c]

I will talk to my therapist about this Excercises,.thanks Samantha wish you were here in Chicago Illinois I would love to have u as my therapist 😊 Bless Day.

[@marilopez3332]

Thank you for all these information and demonstration. I am having surgery soon and I am reassured that time heals and will gain movement and freedom.🎉

[@Annagbe-ye2qn]

Thank you so much, but I need clarity If you have both knee replacement surgery ,how will you do the exercises?

[@michelehelias-willem7136]

Thank you Dr Smith, so simple, so gentle, so doable! I have 2 full flights of stairs in my home. Also a very inflammatory system. I am a trained ballet dancer and find the slow recovery frustrating. Doing TOO much is my downfall, this exercise is just what I need to gently coax my new inflamed knee joint into bearing up with stairs. I am eight weeks out and still building back my quads, hams, and calf muscles as well as stretching all of those groups.

[@jeanetteolive8854]

Thank you sooooo much for this video!

[@renaissancewomanfarm9175]

I am eight weeks out from TKR of the right knee. I have been doing a little more walking on uneven ground and have found that going down slopes makes the knee painful pretty quickly. Watching your video made me realize that the slope is just another version of a stair. I should probably not be doing alternating steps yet Would you add any suggestions for going up a staircase, instead of the single step?

[@Rocaa18]

Saludos desde Alconchel de Ariza España

[@maryfuerte3290]

Thank you so much. TKR for me has gone amazingly well. However, stairs ja been difficult going down. Is there any problem going down, tolerating the discomfort and just getting the new knee used to this movement? You are an amazing Dr. I’ve learned so much helpful information. Thank you doesn’t seem like enough. From Farmington, NM

[@dr.samanthasmith]

Going down is really tough! You’ll need to continue with strengthening the quads

[@lindamiranda2877]

Hi Dr. Samantha Smith, I really enjoyed this video segment. I just had a knee replacement surgery, and I was very nervous at first because of the recovery process,but it wasn’t as bad as I thought. I have lots of stairs to climb to get in to my apartment home and it is very difficult for me to go up and down the stairs just to get my mail or to open the door for deliveries. The exercise you showed using the knee against the wall I’m going to try to practice getting ready to use my knee more going up and down the stairs…I just wanted to ask if it is necessary to have someone stand by while I do the walk exercises in case of losing balance and prevent a fall?

[@dr.samanthasmith]

You could do it at your kitchen counter instead so you can hold on just in case. You’ll just tap your knee into the cabinets instead of tapping the wall. Hopefully that makes sense!

[@johnconklin9138]

Thank you !! Another great video simple and straightforward exercise that is well explained ! I have been going down stairs backwards or sideways for 3+ months due to pain before surgery. I am the guy with the partial knee 6 + weeks post op struggling to hit 95 degrees. :( My doc did not start PT for 2 weeks post OP? and PT told me tissues needed to heal before any Strengthening. Just now doing a small step up only My mind was telling me it was gonna hurt, so working on training the brain. I Really feel it in the Implant area and also in the quad! so tight still ! Cant wait to see a stair in front of me !! :)

[@PATRICIAWOODS-ul5su]

As someone who has long history of multiple orthopedic surgeries, I think Dr. Samantha is a great presenter with valuable information. If I may be so bold, the only element I would add to her instructions, would be necessity of correct sequence of inhalation/exhalation on exertion. This not only helps alleviate pain and stiffness, but also helps increase ROM. Would you agree, Dr. Samantha?

[@doroth215]

I had Plica Arthroscopy surgery in December. My biggest challenge now is climbing down the stairs, it hurts. But climbing up the stairs is manageable. Walking is good. But walking down the stairs is still a struggle.

[@maryfuerte3290]

Thank you so much for this video. I had TKR in Jan. 2024. All went amazingly well. The problem I am having is going down stairs. You explain everything so well. I now understand. I can tolerate the discomfort going down 5 stairs on my porch as I practice each day. Should I continue this and will the TKR eventually get the message and allow me to do it more easier?

[@shazwelly]

That was really helpful, thanks, I was really puzzled about why going downstairs is so much harder than going up, but you explained it really well, also I notice that I can just about go upstairs using both legs during the first part of the day, but when it comes to nighttime I can't do it, why is that ?

[@dr.samanthasmith]

Probably because your legs are tired at the end of the day

[@roadsideflippers5078]

Thank you for this! How important is quad strength when using the stairs? I’m 3.5 months po and my goal is to be able to alternate feet going both directions.

[@dr.samanthasmith]

Definitely important! Quads and glutes for the stairs

[@seemasrivastava6789]

I would also like to know if the excercise will helpme in improving

[@jomc20]

I'm at the 6 weeks post-op stage. There are 24 steps up to my home's front door and i'm not ready to walk down in the normal way yet as my knee will not bend enough. I walk down with my feel pointing towards the side of the step though not completely sideways and for some reason this is easier. Its a bit quicker and better exercise than laboriously going down a step at a time with the same leg leading.

[@dr.samanthasmith]

Keep working on that bend! It will come. If you need help, I have a Knee Bending Course that can get your knee bending quickly. www.succeedcourses.com/Knee-bending-course

[@daughterabraham5889]

I am only three weeks away from a total knee replacement and I have been doing the exercises only a week so my total exercises would be 4 weeks I guess what I want to ask is should I change my surgery day so that I can have more time for the exercises needed before thank you

[@scottwwsi]

hey Samantha, 2 months before TKR....my ortho says he wants to put a titanium plate underneath my kneecap because it's 10mm (he said it needs to be 12mm). have you ever seen this procedure? thanks, cool video.

[@seemasrivastava6789]

Thanks a lot Dr Samantha....i am from India...had my both knee relaced last year in May .....the left leg had some IT band issues...so it has less strength...i am still climbing with my right leg first and then the left one ...i wonder ...will i be able to climb normally in future

[@slundgr]

About how many weeks after knee replacement will it be before the average person can go down stairs normally? Doing the step down exercises or going down stairs is one of the hardest things after my knee replacement surgeries. Thanks for the video.

[@dr.samanthasmith]

Usually between 3-6 weeks. You’ll have to go 2 feet on the step at first and then one foot at a time

[@slundgr]

@@dr.samanthasmith Thank you. I am at week two. I shared the exercise where you work the knee against the wall with my PT. He'd not seen it before, but he liked it. I will give it a try next week. Have a good weekend.

[@coffeerose55]

Excellent but both my knees are bone on bone and I will have the right knee first so I I may make a small ramp

[@Rammyram1884]

what if you have 2 bad knees and you only had 1 knee repaired at a time?

[@dr.samanthasmith]

You might need to go up and down the stairs sideways

[@adriyafra1]

Hello , I had a right knee replacement on November 2019 . I was never able to bend my knee , the pain never went away and , the swelling never went down . The pain continues increasing more and more as well as the stiffness . I get on my stationary bike every day for at least 30 minutes , I don’t pedal like crazy speed but I do pedal , I was wondering if you can give me some advice to help me out at least a little bit . Thank you very much .

[@jvscalia]

I am 12 months post bilateral knee replacement. My recovery has gone well, but I still have lots of difficulty getting up and down stairs, especially down. I am too unbalanced and wobbly, and I have to use the handrails. What exercises can I do to help improve this? Thank you.

[@RoxanneandSteveBragg]

What if you had bilertal 9 weeks ago? I noticed that my knees are sore around it

[@lisajones-franklin3574]

I am 3 weeks post op from knee replacement surgery. I feel like my physical therapist is pushing me too quickly and that he is greatly exaggerating my progress. Today he asked me to bend my knee as far as I could and then he pushed it back even further. I nearly fell off the table from the excruciating pain. He then measured my range of motion and mentioned that my range of motion was vastly improved. I don't feel that it has improved at all because he had to force my knee to bend causing me great pain. Is range of motion measured by how far back the therapist can force the knee to bend? I am thinking of switching from a physical therapist to a professional massage therapist to alleviate the pain and stiffness.

[@dr.samanthasmith]

Yup. He is doing way too much too soon. I just did a post on my Instagram about this exact thing. Technically the forced bend is the measurement we need. But it’s likely that measurement will decrease now because you will be super swollen now. Forcing the knee back at week 3 is so so unnecessary. I am so sorry you had to go through that. Please look into my Post Surgery Course to help you through this. I show you exactly what to do with all your exercises and stretches. Www.Succeedcourses.Com/post-surgery-course

[@amyr3285]

8 months after a right knee replacement, I still have the right side of my knee with little sensation, and the patella part is a little numb. I can do these exercises, but it feel weird tapping the knee to the wall. Same with sleeping on my stomach. It feels as if there is water around the knee cap area and above it.

[@dr.samanthasmith]

It is just nerve damage. Use a towel on the wall if the wall is bothersome

[@SophiaDeMar]

im 3 weeks in after TKR I also have a blood clot, it so painful for me to walk the steps 😢 my calf is where the blood clot is located the pain is unbearable to lay my leg straight, i walk on my tippy toes, this is 💔 and depressing, how can i make my calf better other then taken blood thinner

[@annapoornipb7977]

Mam, I have 7 weeks after bilateral knee replacement. I can walk and climb and down the stairs with railings support. I can't climb if one or two steps without any railings support like footpath etc . What shall I do? How many months needed? What are the excercises? Give suggestions.

[@dr.samanthasmith]

I would practice on a smaller step. Maybe if you have a shorter step somewhere in your home. Try to master that first going up and down with each leg. Then you’ll want to make the step taller and taller.

[@gladysclark4035]

I just had knee replacement I have a lot of swelling I am in therapy the swelling is tight

[@dr.samanthasmith]

You’ll have swelling for 6+ months. It’ll get better each month. But it’s normal

[@RakshandaMehmood]

Dear doctor, I had surgery of both my legs but there is numbness and I can't climb the stairs,lot of effort and crackling sound from right leg is when I get up or stretching my leg/right plz advice me how this crackling sound subsides .

[@dr.samanthasmith]

If the cracks don’t hurt, usually it’s okay. It might be swelling in there if your surgery was recent.

[@vickigrant3621]

I’m about 8 weeks post op TKR. No sugar coating this surgery. Healing process is not easy. I cannot take anti-inflammatory drugs. Any suggestions? Will the swelling ever go completely away? I don’t like that my knees “don’t match”.

[@dr.samanthasmith]

It takes about 3-6 months for the swelling to really calm down.

[@wilmadiaz4750]

Monday will be my 8 weeks PO. I agree with you, not easy. The more I try to get done during the day or the longer I am on my feet the swelling on my ankle is there. I do foot pumps, elevate my foot at heart level. It really helps. No anti inflammatory medication for me either. My doctor suggested 1,000 Tylenol 2x a day. At night I’ve been taking Tylenol PM. It helps me sleep. And yes, my knees don’t match. I am really looking forward to some kind of normalcy. 😅

[@godsmessenger214]

I need this surgery but l have a huge dilemma. I live on third floor and there are no elevators. How am l gonna go up and down with a walker?

[@dr.samanthasmith]

Let your doc know. They might send you to rehab for the first 1-2 weeks

[@josephinebonello4360]

Yes I have a problem going down the stairs it is 3 mouths

[@scottwwsi]

if the knee cap takes more force going down, why do they say 'down with the bad'?

[@dr.samanthasmith]

Because when you go down with the bad, the good leg is still on the stair taking all the force. The bad leg is in the air.

[@dr.samanthasmith]

Good question!

[@coringtonbaldwin7629]

At 16 months...I always encounter at least 1 to 4 steps in my everyday living. Fortunately I live in a First Floor apartment..In every case I look for a rail and/or wall. With my Outpatient Therapy that ended at my 6 month benchmark...we did the 5 stair up and down exercises was done about 20% of the time..80% of the time..my Therapy concentrated on exercises to increase my range of motion and walking without a limp. When I have 16 or more steps I have no problem just using my good leg to step up with my bad leg to follow...The same with going down the steps ( always looking for a handrail).. My long as I can get up and down the stairs with no pain or stress on my Prothesis. .I'm Happy

[@tonymadline9928]

I walked downstairs backwards before my surgery. If I did that now would that be easier with less pain than walking down like normal?

[@dr.samanthasmith]

Yes that would easier. Some people go sideways too. A little safer that way.

[@pinkautumnraine1718]

The therapist in the hospital had me go sideways since I had to go up 25 steps to get in my apartment

[@kastoorikaranth22]

Only walking in the open area without the Stick is little Difficult

[@Bushbunyip56]

Going up and down with a frame is very dangerous with a walker, because it’ll be on an angle

[@tippimail1]

SEVERAL MONTHS???????WTF??????????

[@M.M435]

You can't go up and don't stairs with that walker. There is not enough depth.

[@dr.samanthasmith]

You can!

[@rociobaez7321]

Less talk more demo

[@dr.samanthasmith]

Sorry it’s an educational video. The talking part answers a lot of common questions I get daily.

[@ushadelorme8499]

This is excellent. Thanks for sharing ❤

[@dr.samanthasmith]

You are so welcome!