Recent reports from a Sydney hospital show that the rate of DVT (deep vein thrombosis) in patients recovering from total knee replacement surgery dramatically drops if patients are mobile early. The risk of post-operative DVT dropped from 32 percent to 14 percent in the study.
“Early mobilization in the first 24 hours after total knee replacement is a cheap and effective way to reduce the incidence of DVT” reports the author of the study to 6 Minutes.
The greatest reduction in risk occurred in patients who walked more than 16 feet soon after surgery. DVT occurs when blood clots form in the leg veins. Joint surgery has a high risk of patients developing DVT. Walking helps increase the blood flow through the veins and assures that blood clots have a low risk of formation.
