Hey Cindy, sorry you are still having trouble.

One exercise in the gym that a lot of people do to strengthen the quad muscles is the leg extension machine. From a seated position, the ankles go under a pad and lift a given weight until the leg is straight. The feet are lowered and raised repeatedly.

According to my TKR surgeon - DO NOT USE THIS MACHINE. This puts an incredible amount of stress on the knee as it becomes a fulcrum. The leg extension also increases the risk of lateral patellar deviation, meaning the knee cap can slide right or left unnaturally. And to add insult to injury, this "exercise" adds no functionality to the knee or the leg.

A lot of body builders use this machine because it adds definition to the quads and makes the muscles "pop" - but it is actually harmful and, at best, useless from a functional standpoint. It is much better to do squats, with or without resistance, and to do seated leg extensions, where the leg is held straight out for 30 to 45 seconds with no weight.

I hope this helps you, or someone on here recovering from a TKR.

Joe

I don't know if you're using this machine or not. Sounds like you are very active and so, just in case.