Getting Back into the Swing After Knee Surgery| Knee Replacement & Golf

New research has revealed that most golfers who undergo a knee replacement will be able to return to the sport within five months. This is great news for golfers who are naturally at an increased risk of needing to undergo a knee replacement.

Here, we will look at what the latest research discovered and what it means for golfers due to have a total knee replacement.

Understanding the latest study

The latest study was carried out by an orthopaedic surgeon at the Detroit Henry Ford Hospital. It included a total of over 1,900 patients, 54 of whom were golfers.

The golfers completed a survey after undergoing a knee replacement. This asked them questions about their performance, pain, and stability both before and after undergoing the surgery. Results showed that 82% of the golfers were able to successfully return to play within five months. Additionally, 84% believed that their performance was the same, if not better, after the surgery.

Pain levels were also reported to be low. The golfers needed less inflammatory drugs to control swelling and experienced minimum discomfort when playing.

Interestingly, the study did reveal that those who didn’t play golf very often were the ones most at risk of not returning after a knee replacement.

The benefits of a knee replacement procedure

A knee replacement procedure is carried out to replace a damaged knee joint. The original joint is removed, before being replaced by plastic and metal parts. It is typically performed on patients suffering from arthritis of the knee. When mobility is poor and you are experiencing a lot of pain in the knee, replacement surgery can help.

While it is a relatively safe procedure, there are some risks to be aware of. These include:

Infection
Bleeding
Continued stiffness and pain
The prosthesis may wear out or loosen over time

Your surgeon will run through the risks with you prior to the surgery. In most cases, the surgery is successful and helps to greatly improve mobility.

If you want to get back to golf after a knee replacement, the key is to focus on your recovery.

Tips for a successful recovery

If you want to get back to playing golf as quickly as possible, it’s important to follow your Mr Jonathan Webb’s aftercare advice. You’ll need to rest it for a period of time before attempting to do any exercise. If you try and do too much too soon, you could end up needing additional surgery, or at the very least extra time off the course.

If you have been given a knee brace, make sure you wear it as instructed. You could also enlist the help of a physiotherapist. Physical therapy can help to increase your range of motion, while also minimising pain.

Overall, golfers do appear to have a good chance of returning to the sport after a knee replacement. However, as the study was fairly small, larger, more in-depth research should be conducted. If you are concerned about returning to golf after a knee replacement, book a consultation with Mr Webb today.