Knee replacement surgery is a major procedure that takes months of inactivity followed by rehabilitation in order to return your knee and leg to full strength. Despite this, after eight to 10 months it is possible to return to intense physical activities such as sculling, if you have properly rehabilitated your knee through strength training and range of motion exercises. According to Ann E. Rahman, BPhty, sculling has been incorporated in various water rehabilitation programs with respect to knee replacement.
ROM Exercises
Range of motion exercises are the first step in returning your knee to full strength. Range of motion exercises will help decrease swelling in your knee, allowing it to heal quicker as well as improve flexibility. Range of motion exercises vary from leg extensions to knee rotations. To perform a leg extension, sit in a chair with your feet on the floor and arms at your sides. From here, lift your injured leg by extending at the knee, moving it as high as you can until you feel tension or pain. Hold for several seconds before relaxing. Repeat 10 times or until fatigued.
Weight Bearing Exercises
Weight bearing exercises must be performed sufficiently before any attempt at sculling or rowing can be performed. To start, stand up straight with a crutch under each of your arms. From here, shift your weight down onto your injured leg. If you do not feel pain at this point, push up onto the toes of your injured leg, extending your heel up as high as you can and holding at this point for several seconds. Relax your leg, repeating until fatigued.
Machine Rowing
After you have successfully performed weight bearing exercises, you can begin returning to proper sculling shape with the aid of a rowing machine. To start, try locking the seat of the rowing machine in so you do not have to use your legs or knee while rowing. Begin rowing, using only your upper torso on the machine, re-strengthening your arms and upper body before incorporating your legs. When adding in your legs, start on the lowest level of resistance with respect to the machine. As you improve in strength and range of motion, increase the duration of your workouts as well as the resistance levels.
Assisted Sculling
After strengthening your knee on a rowing machine, moving into a multi-person sculling boat is the next logical step. While individual sculling is popular, it is important to first work within a group, in order to put less pressure and strain on your knee during a rowing session. Start by following the motions of the other rowers without using your oars. Once you feel that your knee is moving properly and fluidly, begin to row at a low level. Increase your speed and strength as your knee heals, making sure to never push it past its limit.
