As we’ve talked about numerous times on the blog in the past, patients are undergoing joint replacement surgery at a younger age, and they have no intention of slowing down once the operation and their recovery is complete. They want to get back to doing all the activities that they once loved, and in the winter time, that oftentimes involves getting back out on the ski slopes.
Anyone who has skied in the past knows that the activity isn’t exactly easy on your knees, but does that mean you won’t be able to get back to skiing once your rehabilitation has run its course? In today’s blog, we explain if you can return to downhill skiing after knee replacement surgery.
Skiing After Knee Replacement
As we preface in many blogs, you’re going to want to get individualized advice from your treating surgeon before you make a decision about skiing after your knee replacement operation. A number of different personal factors will come into play, and there is no one-size-fits all answer to the question at the heart of this blog.
With that said, for the sake of this blog, let’s assume that you are young enough and expected to make a full recovery in the wake of your knee replacement operation. Will you be able to get back on a pair of skis? It depends, but if you keep a couple of things in mind, you very well may be able to ski once again.
The first thing you’ll want to do is to make sure that you’ve made a full recovery and have restored as much confidence in your artificial knee as possible. This can take 9-12 months or longer depending on the situation, but know that you’re not going to be able to ski for the foreseeable future once your knee has been replaced. Skiing on a knee that hasn’t made a full recovery is a recipe for injury.
Assuming you’ve rehabbed your knee as best you could and have received clearance from your treating surgeon, you can get back on a pair of skis, but you’ll want to be smart about it and pick your battles. Here’s what we mean by that:
- Only ski on easier terrain that you are very comfortable with.
- Only ski when conditions are ideal, as ice or slush can increase your risk of a fall.
- It’s not recommended that you learn to ski after knee replacement. If you skied prior to your operation, you may be able to return to the activity, but it’s likely not wise to pick up the habit after your operation if you’ve never learned how to ski.
- Start slow, listen to your body and build up your tolerance.
- Avoid jumps, moguls or other risky maneuvers that can put excessive strain on your knee.
Finally, it’s oftentimes helpful for patients who are attempting to return to skiing to either continue with their physical therapy exercises or connect with a physical therapist to develop a new routine. Skiing will test your knees and your body in a number of different ways, so it’s helpful to connect with a physical therapist who can tailor an exercise routine to help strengthen key muscle groups or help your knee recover from the toll that skiing takes on your body.
So while we can’t sit here and say that you can absolutely return to skiing after a knee replacement procedure, if you work hard during your recovery, earn clearance from your surgeon and are smart about how you approach your return to the hill, it’s very possible that you can get back to doing the winter activities you love after a knee replacement procedure. For more information, or for answers to questions about your hip or knee issue, reach out to Dr. Botero and his team today at (865) 558-4444.
