What is joint replacement therapy?
It is the structured recovery that follows a hip or knee replacement, and it has a specific job list. First, motion. A replaced knee that does not get its bend and its full straightening back in the early weeks tends to keep whatever it settles at, so range work starts early and it is not optional. Second, strength, and specifically the quadriceps and the glutes. Both switch off after surgery, and the weakness is usually out of all proportion to how the joint itself feels. Third, gait. Most people arrive having limped for years before the operation, and that limp does not disappear because the joint was changed. It has to be retrained, step by step, until walking looks and feels even again. Fourth, stairs, curbs, cars and the floor, because those are the moments that decide whether you feel independent. And fifth, confidence, which is not a soft goal. Trusting the leg is what stops the guarding that keeps everything else stiff.
Massachusetts has direct access to physical therapy, so you can book an evaluation without a physician referral. In practice most joint replacement patients come with one, and coverage for post-surgical care sometimes requires it, so we verify your insurance benefits before your first visit and tell you exactly where you stand before you spend a dollar.
