Post-Surgical Knee Rehab

From surgery and soreness back to stairs, walks, and real life.

You’ve done the hard part—knee surgery, the brace, crutches, early healing. Now you’re home thinking:

“Why is it still this stiff?”
“When will stairs feel normal again?”
“Is this pain normal… or am I overdoing it?”

That “in-between” phase—after surgery, before you feel like yourself again—is exactly our lane at Timpanogos Physical Therapy. We help you move from protecting the knee to trusting the knee again.

Knee surgeries, we commonly rehab

We work with people after:

ACL reconstruction (all graft types)
Meniscus repair or meniscectomy
Total knee replacement (TKR / TKA)
Partial knee replacement
Patellar tendon or quadriceps tendon repair
Cartilage procedures (microfracture, OATS, etc.)
MPFL reconstruction and other patellar stabilization surgeries
Other knee surgeries where stiffness, pain, swelling, or weakness are hanging around longer than you expected

We follow your surgeon’s protocol and restrictions, then tailor the plan to your body, your goals, and how you’re actually responding.

Common post-surgical knee struggles

After knee surgery, it’s very normal to deal with:

Swelling that returns as soon as you’re on your feet
Trouble fully straightening or bending the knee
A stiff, heavy feeling when you first stand up or move
A limp and feeling like you can’t trust that leg
Quad weakness—the thigh doesn’t want to “fire” or feel strong
Pain or sensitivity around the incision/scar
Difficulty with stairs, inclines, getting in/out of chairs or cars

Quadriceps weakness is often one of the most significant limiting factors after knee surgery. If the quad doesn’t come back well, walking, stairs, and confidence all suffer—no matter how good the surgery was.

You’re not being “behind”—you need a clear roadmap instead of guessing.

Our approach: clear phases, flexible plan

We respect your surgeon’s guidelines, but we also adjust to you—day by day.

Phase 1: Calm things down & keep things moving (safely)

Early on, we focus on:

Managing pain and swelling
Getting full knee extension (straightening) as early as allowed—it’s key for normal walking
Gentle bending (flexion) within your limits
Safe use of crutches, walker, or cane, and transitions like bed ↔ chair
Keeping your hip, ankle, and opposite leg from getting stiff or weak

Little improvements here pay off big later.

Phase 2: Motion, muscle & smoother walking

As healing progresses and your restrictions ease, we aim to:

Restore as much flexion and extension as your surgery allows
Begin more focused quadriceps and hamstring strengthening
Work on gait training so your limp gradually fades
Progress sit-to-stand, step-ups, and stairs in a way that feels safe but productive

This is where we put a significant emphasis on getting the quad truly “online” again, not just going through the motions.

Phase 3: Strength, power & return to your life

Once the knee is ready for more:

We build strength and endurance in the quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves
Add balance, single-leg control, and dynamic drills
Introduce higher-level activities—hills, uneven ground, kneeling/squatting, getting down to the floor
For active folks, we layer in jogging, cutting, jumping, or sport-specific drills as appropriate

Whether your goal is pain-free walking, working on your feet, hiking, or getting back to sports, we build toward what you care about.

Where our technology fits in

Shockwave therapy

Once your surgeon clears the area and we’re out of the very early healing phase, shockwave therapy can be a powerful add-on for:

Patellar and quadriceps tendinopathy after ACL or other surgeries
Ongoing discomfort at the patellar tendon, quadriceps tendon, or IT band
“Hot spots” around the kneecap or tendon insertions that don’t settle with exercise alone
Scar tissue and sensitive incision areas that feel thick, tight, or tender

Shockwave can help:

Decrease local pain and sensitivity
Desensitize and remodel scar tissue, helping it move and glide better
Support circulation and tissue quality in irritated areas
Make strengthening, walking, and higher-level activities more comfortable

We use it when timing and healing are appropriate, and always as part of a bigger rehab plan.

EMS Muscle Strengthening / Body Sculpting for Quad Recovery

Because quad strength is such a substantial limiting factor after many knee surgeries, we sometimes incorporate EMS muscle-building / body sculpting technology to help that muscle come back faster and more fully.

This technology uses powerful electromagnetic pulses to:

Trigger strong, repeated contractions in the quadriceps and surrounding muscles
Recruit fibers that are often “shut down” or hard to access after surgery
Complement your active strengthening by giving the quad an extra, deep workout you usually can’t match on your own—especially early on

In the right cases, EMS muscle strengthening can:

Help you regain quad strength more quickly
Improve control and stability for walking, stairs, and transfers
Support a faster, smoother return to normal activities

We’ll always talk through whether it’s appropriate for your specific surgery, stage of healing, and goals, and use it as a booster alongside good rehab—not instead of it.

EMTT (Electromagnetic therapy)

We also use EMTT (Electromagnetic Transduction Therapy) around the knee to:

Support overall recovery, circulation, and tissue metabolism
Help calm down overprotective muscles around the joint
Reduce some of the deep, achy feelings that can follow activity or therapy

EMTT is non-invasive and typically used as a supportive adjunct to your exercises and manual therapy.

Red & near-infrared light therapy

Red and near-infrared light around the knee can:

Support healing and recovery
Help ease post-session soreness
Complement the work we’re doing with exercise, manual therapy, and technology

It’s a simple, relaxing way to finish a session—especially on days we’ve progressed things a bit more.

Hands-on care & exercise: the main engine of your rehab

Technology helps, but the foundation is still good PT:

Manual therapy – gentle joint mobilizations for the knee, patella, and surrounding joints, plus soft-tissue work for quads, hamstrings, calves, and IT band
Scar management – once it’s safe, we’ll teach you how to mobilize and desensitize the incision, and may pair that with shockwave when appropriate for stubborn areas
Targeted strengthening – especially quads and glutes, so your knee isn’t doing all the work
Balance & proprioception – building trust in the leg with single-leg stance, step drills, and controlled challenges
Movement coaching – how to sit, stand, squat, climb stairs, lift, and get on/off the floor without beating up your knee

We’ll explain the reasoning behind what we do and adjust the plan based on your response—not just a generic timeline.

What progress can look like

As you move through rehab, you can expect to:

Notice less swelling and stiffness, especially in the morning or after sitting
Walk with a smoother, more natural stride
Handle stairs and inclines with more confidence
Feel your leg getting stronger, not just “sore and tired”
Return to work, hobbies, exercise, and sports with a knee that feels more dependable

Everyone’s timeline is different—type of surgery, pre-op condition, overall health—but you don’t have to figure it out alone.

Ready to get the full benefit of your knee surgery?

Surgery repaired or replaced structures inside the knee. Rehab is what teaches that new knee—and especially that quad—how to live in the real world.

Schedule a post-surgical knee rehab evaluation with Timpanogos Physical Therapy. We’ll build a clear, personalized plan—using clever progressions, hands-on treatment, and tools like shockwave, EMTT, red light therapy, and EMS muscle strengthening when appropriate—to help you move from “I had knee surgery” to “my knee lets me do what I want again.”