Weeks 1–2
Pain
Calm the swelling down.
Hands-on techniques and guided movement control swelling and pain, starting in your very first sessions after surgery.
What We Treat
Knee Replacement Surgery treatment in Cherry Hill & Burlington.
The new knee that’s supposed to fix everything, but still feels stiff, swollen, and hard to trust. Getting the most out of your replacement starts with a cause-first evaluation, not a guess.
Sound Familiar?
Does this sound like you?
- Your new knee still won’t bend as far as it did in the hospital
- Swelling that hasn’t gone down weeks after the staples came out
- Wobbling on stairs because you don’t trust the knee to hold you yet
- A limp that shows up the moment you get tired
- Feeling behind on your surgeon’s “by now you should be doing this” checklist
- Wondering if this stiffness is normal or a sign something’s wrong
Two or more? Keep reading.
Why It Happens
Recovery isn’t automatic. Something has to drive it.
A new knee joint doesn’t come with new muscles, and it doesn’t undo the surgery’s own swelling and guarding on its own. In the weeks after replacement, three things typically hold recovery back: scar tissue that tightens around the joint if it isn’t moved through its full range early, quadriceps and hamstring muscles that shut down from the surgery itself and need to be retrained to fire, and swelling that lingers and blocks motion if it isn’t managed.
None of that resolves with rest alone, and waiting too long to move the joint is one of the biggest reasons knees stiffen up after surgery. That’s why we build a cause-first evaluation around exactly what’s limiting your knee this week, not a generic sheet of exercises everyone gets. Find what’s actually holding you back, and the plan gets obvious.
The Honest Truth
Waiting on knee replacement rehab doesn’t make it wait on you.
If you keep waiting
- Scar tissue tightens around the joint, and the motion you lose gets harder to win back
- Your quad forgets how to fire, so you keep favoring the other leg long after you should be even
- A stiff knee today can mean extra work down the road just to regain the motion you lost
If you start this week
- You know exactly where your motion and strength stand against a normal recovery, by visit one
- Swelling and guarding get addressed hands-on, starting your first visit
- You get a plan with an endpoint: a real one, mapped to your surgeon’s recovery timeline
Nobody regrets starting too early. Every week, someone in our clinic says they regret waiting.
How We Fix It
The same four phases. Built for a new knee.
Every plan has an endpoint. Here’s what the four phases look like after a knee replacement.
Weeks 2–8
Prime
Get your motion back.
Careful, consistent mobility work restores the bend and straighten your new knee needs before scar tissue can lock it down.
Weeks 8–16
Perform
Make it strong enough to trust.
Progressive strengthening rebuilds the quad and hip muscles that went quiet after surgery, so the knee stops feeling wobbly.
Weeks 16+
Prevent
Return better than before.
Stairs, uneven ground, and getting up from low chairs get tested under real load before you’re cleared to go all-in: that’s the endpoint, not just another appointment.
Every staff member was professional and pleasant. My physical therapist was knowledgeable, informative, and made me feel comfortable through the therapy process. I made great progress through therapy, and learned how to help myself and continue my progress independently. I wholeheartedly recommend Specialized Physical Therapy.
Shared by Camille I. · Knee Replacement Surgery
First knee replacement, 2016: unsteady, guarding every step
Hip replacement, 2024: standing and moving again by spring, same PT the whole way
Knee Replacement Surgery
2016–2024
Questions, Answered
What people ask before booking for knee replacement surgery.
As soon as your surgeon clears you, often within days of getting home. The knee starts forming scar tissue almost immediately, and the sooner you start guided movement, the easier it is to win back a full bend and a full straighten. We build your evaluation around exactly where your knee is that week, not a generic timeline, and if you’re behind where you’d like to be, that’s exactly what the first visit is for.
In most cases, yes, some discomfort with movement is a normal part of recovery, and it’s different from harm. Total rest lets scar tissue tighten and the quad muscle stay shut down, which makes the knee stiffer and weaker down the road. The key is dosing the right movement for where your knee is today, which is exactly what your therapist manages at every visit, then progresses safely as you heal.
Most patients see meaningful gains in motion and strength within the first 4–6 visits. A full plan after a knee replacement runs through all four phases, Pain, Prime, Perform, and Prevent, typically over three to four months, depending on your starting point and your surgeon’s protocol. Either way, you get a plan with an endpoint: you’ll always know which phase you’re in and what’s left, not an open-ended string of appointments.
Book Your Visit
Ready when you are.
Request a time and a real person calls you back, usually within two business hours. No phone tree. No ‘someone will reach out.’ Just a plan.
- Hours Mon–Thu 8am–7pm, Fri 8am–2pm
- Prefer to talk now? Call either office. Cherry Hill 856-424-0993 Burlington 609-880-0880
- Same-week appointments available
5.0 · 607 Google reviews
Typical response: under 2 business hours
Step 1 of 6
Request sent.
That’s the hard part done. We’ll call during business hours to lock in your time. Most people are on the schedule same week.
Visit Us
Care this good, this close.
Specialized Physical Therapy – Cherry Hill
Specialized Physical Therapy – Burlington
- 11 Cadillac Road, Burlington, NJ 08016 (opens in a new tab)
- 609-880-0880
- Fax: 609-227-4423
- frontdesk@specializedphysicaltherapy.com
- Mon–Thu 8am–7pm, Fri 8am–2pm