The surgeon you choose matters... but so does choosing the 'right' PT.

Most patients spend a lot of time looking for the ‘best’ knee replacement surgeon.

They ask:

• Which implant is best for me?

• Which surgical technique is best?

• Which surgeon has the best reputation?

But in my experience as a physical therapist…

Very few patients spend the same amount of time thinking about who will guide their recovery afterward.

Newsflash: it is not your surgeon.

And that matters more than most people realize.

That said, choosing the right surgeon still matters.

3 Things to Look For in a Knee Replacement Surgeon

1. High Surgical Volume

You want a surgeon who primarily performs knee replacements on a daily basis.

2. Strong Communication

You should feel comfortable, confident, informed, and never rushed.

3. Consistent Outcomes

Look beyond flashy marketing and focus on consistently good patient outcomes.

I dive deeper into these in my full blog below. 👇

Here’s what most patients don’t realize…

You intentionally look for a surgeon who specializes in knees.

But then many patients unknowingly choose a “generalist” for their rehabilitation afterward.

What do I mean by that?

You choose a PT who may treat back pain, shoulder injuries, ankle sprains, fractures, and ACL repairs in the very same day they treat someone recovering from knee replacement surgery.

Compare that to the surgeon who may perform 6 or more knee replacements in a single day.

You become an expert in what you do every day.

And knee replacement recovery is very different than treating a younger athlete after an ACL surgery or someone recovering from a knee fracture, even though they are all technically “knee” injuries.

The decision to have knee replacement surgery is a big one.

The decision about which surgeon to trust is also a big one.

Choosing which PT will guide you after surgery should also be a big one.

How did you choose your Physical Therapist?…

After talking to thousands of knee replacement patients, I've noticed that most people choose their PT in one of three ways:

1. They've gone there before.

2. A friend recommended them.

3. Their surgeon referred them.

None of these are necessarily wrong choices.

But they may not be the best choice for YOUR recovery.

In this short video, I'll explain why.

A quick personal note.

Early in my PT career, I was a “generalist” too.

It wasn’t until I became deeply immersed in knee replacement recovery that I realized how much I still had to learn.

One lesson I learned:

Patients did not love when I placed my hands on their post-surgical knee and aggressively pushed on it in the hopes of gaining a few extra degrees of motion.

Another lesson I learned:

I underestimated the amount of pain and swelling many patients experienced after they left my clinic because I was not paying close enough attention to how my treatments affected them afterward.

Those experiences completely changed how I view recovery after knee replacement surgery.

I realized that patients needed more than just a few therapy appointments each week. They needed guidance, reassurance, education, and a clear plan for what to do at home every single day.

And it is one of the reasons I created GoKnee.

Patients deserved better.

Want to learn more?

Choosing a surgeon is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make during this process.

If knee replacement surgery is in your future, I wrote a blog covering what I would personally look for when choosing a surgeon for myself.

👉READ THE FULL BLOG

In next month’s KneeMail…

I’ll dive into ‘How to choose the RIGHT physical therapist’ for your knee replacement recovery.

Because not all rehab experiences are the same.

And your recovery deserves just as much thought as your surgery.

Until next time,

Shehla

HELP A KNEE OUT

Forward this to a friend who could use a little less pain and a lot more movement. Sharing is caring, especially when it’s about knees!