Cardio Exercises After Knee Replacement Surgery
After knee replacement surgery, starting cardio exercises helps rebuild strength, improve heart health, and support loosing weight without stressing your new joint. Low impact options like cycling and walking let you ease back into a cardio workout safely, often beginning just weeks after surgery under your doctor’s guidance.
Stationary biking stands out as a top choice for cardio after knee replacement. It builds muscle around the knee, boosts circulation, and restores bending motion while keeping pressure low on the jointhttps://myorthobike.com/blog/the-best-exercise-bike-before-and-after-a-knee-replacement. Start with short sessions, no resistance, pedaling forward and backward to engage both legs. Devices like patient powered bikes offer active rehab that strengthens muscles and adds cardiovascular benefits over passive machineshttps://myorthobike.com/blog/the-best-exercise-bike-before-and-after-a-knee-replacement.
Brisk walking or water aerobics provide gentle cardio to get your heart pumping and aid in loosing weight. Aim for 150 minutes weekly of moderate activity, spread over days, using pool exercises to cut joint load while moving freelyhttps://www.cfaortho.com/media/news/2025/12/best-exercise-routines-for-joint-health-in-the-new. Swimming or elliptical machines work well too, distributing effort to protect knees during your cardio workouthttps://teeter.com/blog/best-exercises-for-bad-knees/.
Step exercises build toward more dynamic cardio. Try step ups by leading with your surgery leg onto a low step, then step downs keeping the surgery leg steady while lowering the otherhttps://www.virtua.org/articles/7-exercises-to-get-you-back-on-your-feet-after-knee-replacement. Do two sets of 10 reps daily, adjusting for fatigue. These mimic daily moves and prep you for walking or light running later, once cleared.
Assisted wall squats and single leg stands add stability for cardio progress. Squats target muscles for sitting and standing, while single leg work improves balance before ramping up to running or faster paceshttps://www.virtua.org/articles/7-exercises-to-get-you-back-on-your-feet-after-knee-replacementhttps://www.cfaortho.com/media/news/2025/12/best-exercise-routines-for-joint-health-in-the-new.
Warm up with easy walking or arm circles before any cardio session. Strength moves like glute bridges or calf raises twice weekly support your knees for longer workoutshttps://www.cfaortho.com/media/news/2025/12/best-exercise-routines-for-joint-health-in-the-new. Always check with your physical therapist to match reps and intensity to your recovery.
