🚶♂️Our patients planning for knee replacement surgery as us: “How will I walk after Total Knee Replacement surgery?”
Every person and every recovery is different… but here is what you can usually expect about walking in the first couple of weeks after your total knee replacement operation:
✅ The new knee joint itself is strong enough to walk on straight away
✅ You’ll often walk with 1–2 crutches for the first 1–3 weeks
✅ As swelling settles and muscles switch back on, walking becomes easier
✅ Confidence grows with regular guided movement
In our video, you’ll see a patient walking at 10 days post-op without any walking aids. That is fantastic progress… although for most people, support is still helpful at this stage.
It’s important to remember:
• The implant is secure
• It is usually the pain and muscle weakness that limit early walking
• Quads, glutes, and balance systems need time to wake up again
• Gentle practice little and often is key
What you should focus on with your walking during the first 3 weeks post-op after TKR
👍 Heel-to-toe walking pattern
👍 Walk well using crutches, rather than limping without
👍 Standing tall, straighten your operated knee when weight-bearing on it
👍 Short, frequent walks throughout the day
👍 Following your physio’s strengthening plan
Small gains daily = big progress over weeks.
🚨 When to check with your physio or surgeon
• Increasing difficulty weight-bearing after improving
• A sudden new limp
• Worsening swelling, spreading redness, fever
• Sharp calf pain or breathlessness
These are not common, but early review matters.
💪 Your best recovery starts now
Our expert physios provide hands-on guidance, reassurance and a progressive strengthening plan so you walk with confidence and avoid long-term limping patterns.
📍 Expert same-day private physiotherapy near me across our 10 clinics in NW London & Hertfordshire WD6
✅ Your Best Recovery. Guaranteed.
Book expert post-op knee physiotherapy now ➜ https://boostphysio.janeapp.co.uk
