After surgery, you will be less active than normal. You will start deep breathing and coughing exercises right away. Deep breathing and coughing exercises are important to do every hour that you’re awake.
The deep breathing and coughing helps to:
- keep your lungs expanding fully
- clear mucus from your lungs and throat
- lower your chance of getting a chest infection
You should try to do the deep breathing and ankle pumping exercises every hour that you are awake.
Your physiotherapist or nurse will review some or all of the excercises with you while you are in the hospital.
For all other exercises below, try to repeat at least 3 times a day (unless indicated otherwise).
Exercises to do while LYING
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Deep Breathing – Lying or Sitting Position
- Place both hands high on your stomach.
- Breathe in as deeply as you can. You will feel your stomach push out against your hands.
- Hold your breath for 2-3 seconds.
- Breathe out slowly through your open mouth.
- Repeat 3 to 4 times.
- Have a strong cough. Just clearing your throat is not enough.
- Follow this by having another 2-3 deep breaths as before.
- Do this exercise every hour you are awake.
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Foot and Ankle Pumping
- Relax your leg.
- Gently pull your toes towards your head.
- Then gently push your toes towards the bottom of the bed.
- Do exercise for 1-2 minutes every hour you are awake.
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Static Quads - Tightening Muscles in Front of Thigh
- Lying on your back, keep both legs straight.
- With your operated leg, tighten the muscles on the top of your thigh by pushing your knee down into the bed.
- Hold 5 seconds and relax.
- Relax and repeat 10 times.
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Knee Flexion - Bending the Knee
- Lying on your back, keep your operated leg straight.
- Slowly slide the heel of your operated leg up towards your buttocks.
- Slowly slide the heel away from your buttocks straightening your knee.
- Relax and repeat 10 times.
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Straight Leg Raise -Leg Lift
- Lying on your back, bend your non-operated leg.
- Then lift your operated leg up 6 inches off the bed with your knee locked.
- Hold for 5 seconds then slowly lower your operated leg.
- Relax and repeat 10 times.
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Quads Over Roll - Knee Over Roll
- Lying on your back with both legs straight, place a roll (large juice can rolled in a towel) under the knee of your operated leg.
- Straighten your knee by tightening the muscle on the top of the thigh, lifting your foot up off the bed. Be sure to keep the bottom of your knee firmly on the roll.
- Hold for 5 seconds then gently lower your leg.
- Relax and repeat 10 times.
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Static Hamstring - Tightening Muscles in Back of Leg
- Lying on your back keep both legs straight.
- With your operated leg, push your heel into the bed, without letting your knee bend.
- Hold 5 seconds and relax.
- Relax and repeat 10 times.
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Knee Extension -Stretching Back of Knee
- Lying on your back, place a roll (large juice can rolled in a towel) under the heel of your operated leg.
- Push your knee down into the bed.
- Hold for 10 seconds then relax.
- Relax and repeat 10 times.
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Exercises to do while SITTING
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Knee Flexion – Bending your Knee
- Sit in a chair, making sure not to lean forward.
- Bend the knee of your operated leg back as far as possible.
- Place your non-operated leg in front of your operated leg to push the operated leg back further.
- Hold for 5 seconds
- Relax and repeat 10 times.
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Knee Extension - Straightening Your Knee
- Sit well back in a chair, making sure not to lean forward.
- With both feet on the ground, raise the foot of your operated leg up bringing the leg to a straight position.
- Hold for 5 seconds then lower slowly.
- Relax and repeat 10 times.
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Exercises to do while STANDING
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Knee Flexion - Knee Bending
- Holding on to a chair or counter top, stand with legs and body straight. Do not lean at the waist.
- Bend the knee of your operated leg, bringing your heel up to your buttocks, so you are standing on your non-operated leg.
- You should feel the muscles on the back of the thigh working, and the muscles on the front of your thigh stretching.
- Relax and repeat 10 times.
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