Modified exercises may lower the risk of wear compared with high-intensity exercises in patients who have undergone knee replacement surgery, according to an article published in The Washington Post. One such patient, 65-year-old distance runner Joan Benoit Samuelson, received a partial knee replacement in 2020. However, as a former Olympic marathon runner and recipient of a gold medal, Ms. Samuelson has since continued to run and participated in the 2022 London Marathon. “I wasn’t able to run at all before; the pain was excruciating. My surgeons knew that I would be running on the knee with the intention of running marathons,” she noted, revealing that her surgeons had also listed her as a candidate for total knee arthroplasty as a result of her dedication to running. Experts explained that patients who have previously performed high-intensity workouts should consider modifying their exercise routines to exclude those that involve high-load repetitive pounding motions. Continuing to engage in exercises that heavily impact the knees may result in wear and loosening of the new components—putting patients at risk for additional replacement surgeries. The experts stressed that because of recent surgical advancements, there has been a growing number of patients younger than age 50 who have received knee replacement procedures. Although many of these patients have described a higher level of functionality and less physical limitations following their procedures, the experts advised them to refrain from activities that further impact the knees. They encouraged patients to take part in exercises such as cycling, brisk walking, swimming, doubles tennis, machine-based workouts such as the elliptical, gentle skiing, and hiking. Despite being cautioned against running, Ms. Samuelson hopes to participate in the Tokyo marathon in the near future to earn the Abbott World Marathon Majors Six Star medal before giving up marathon running.
May 25, 2023