Avoiding knee or hip surgery

Physical therapy

The main component of joint surgery avoidance is strengthening the muscles that support your joints. The quadriceps in the front of the thigh and the hamstrings in the back are key to knee strength. "Every time you walk or run or do anything weight-bearing, the quads absorb the shock. The stronger your quads are, the less load that gets transferred into the joint".

To build quad strength, you'll start exercising while lying down: tightening your quads with your leg out in front of you, or lying on your stomach and raising your foot into the air to strengthen your hamstrings. You'll progress to standing exercises such as leg lifts and curls, and graduate to exercising on weight machines.

The gluteal muscles in the buttocks and flexors in the pelvis are important for hip strength and flexibility. To beef them up, you'll start with a number of different leg lifts, such as extensions and clamshells, before progressing to exercises on weight machines.

Stretching is important to keep the muscles flexible. We recommend doing this after exercising. "Exercising first brings more blood flow to the area and makes the muscle more amenable to change".

You'll see a change in your muscles after four to six weeks of daily exercises. Then you can move to rigorous exercises two to three times a week, but you can never go back to a nonactive lifestyle. "Doing this doesn't restore cartilage. If you stop, you'll go back to the way you felt before".