Until we suffer a knee injury, it’s easy to take walking, moving, or sport-playing for granted. We don’t realize how much we rely on healthy knees until we experience aches, pains, and injury. If this is you, you’re not alone!

Out of 100 million Americans who suffer from chronic pain, knee pain is the second most common cause. Beyond knee pain, the number of knee replacements are just as eye-opening.

Check out these statistics on total knee replacements:

  • There are 635,000 knee replacements done each year in the U.S. currently
  • In 2030, that number is expected to grow to over a million
  • By 2060, total knee replacements are expected to hit over 2.5 million

As the numbers reveal, more treatment needs to be in place to accommodate the higher volumes of patients with knee pain and conditions. In addition, it’s time to look at alternative ways to manage knee pain outside of doctor’s offices, and physical therapy clinics.

For this, we turn to health care services at home for knee recovery.

How have health care services at home improved for knee recovery?

First off, what exactly does health care services at home mean? When we hear ‘health care services at home’, we tend to think of a nurse visit at the house. While this can be one element, healthcare services at home have evolved quite a bit.

What are health care services at home? Home health care is clinical, physical, and emotional medical supervision provided by a licensed professionals at the patient’s house. This care can be offered by in-person clinicians or via telehealth appointments. In addition, digital programs (apps) can offer complete treatment from home and connect patients with licensed practical nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and behavioral health therapists with virtual visits.

In recent years, everyone from lawmakers, insurance companies, pharmaceutical manufacturers, doctors and patients have stepped outside of their comfort zones and made major changes to healthcare. It seems we’re on the right track, because getting treated for your knee pain or injury has become more seamless, organized and patient-focused than ever before. A major part of this is accessing more convenient care from home.

When it comes to treating knee pain and injury, it can be more efficient for both doctors and patients to have telehealth and virtual visits rather than strictly in-person. In many ases, a combination of in-person healthcare and digital health care services at home are recommended.

It’s clear that a newer, hybrid model of medicine with a focus on what the patient can do at home and outside of the doctor’s office is taking center stage. Let’s touch on some of the key benefits of health care from home for knee injury, chronic knee pain, and knee surgery recovery.

Benefits of health care services from home for knee recovery

Whatever the source of your knee injury, it can be comforting and make things a lot easier for you to be able to get recovery treatment from your own home. As a patient, benefits include:

  • Less travel time when you’re already in pain
  • Less or no time off work to get to appointments
  • Lower cost (zero transportation costs, no paid childcare, paid parking, time away etc.)
  • Less risk of in-office exposure to germs and contagions
  • More control over your recovery process
  • Access to top medical experts like physical therapists, physicians and specialists, regardless of location
  • More access to appointments—less of a wait to see specialists right away

Could an at-home knee recovery program be right for you?

Whether you’re a pre-surgery patient, post-surgery patient or a patient who doesn’t require surgery at all, if you can identify with any of the knee issues below, you may find an at-home knee recovery program helpful.

Do you have difficulty:

  • Sitting in a chair or lying down in bed
  • Getting out of a chair or out of bed
  • Dressing on your own
  • Showering or bathing yourself
  • Getting up and down stairs
  • Supporting your weight on the injured leg
  • Side-stepping on the injured leg
  • Keeping up with daily or regular activity because of knee pain

A Snapshot of PeerWell’s Five Pillars of Health for at-home knee recovery

Peek Inside your at-home daily plan with PeerWell

Here’s what it looks like inside your daily program. You can expect ease of use and interesting information and videos each day!

peerwell program

With PeerWell, you’ll schedule an appointment by phone or online where your initial questions will be answered. Your first visit would include an evaluation and assessment, which will help in creating a treatment plan unique to you and your condition. Your clinician would also determine what other services you could benefit from, like nutrition guidance, mental health counseling, or occupational therapy services.

Here are some things you can look forward to in your personalized at-home knee recovery program:

  • 1:1 live, virtual physical therapy sessions with a physical therapist
  • Nutrition tips and recipes that help decrease pain and inflammation while increasing bone strength
  • Mindfulness techniques that help you understand and conquer your pain
  • Physical exercises specific to your condition
  • Increasing range of motion, strength and flexibility in and around the affected knee
  • Receiving whole-person quality care, not just one body part
  • Finally getting back to your regular routine

Can PeerWell help you simplify your path to recovery?

If you’d like to know how PeerWell Health can help you with your knee treatment and recovery process, reach out!

As mentioned above, your friendly Member Care Coordinator will guide you through the intake process, connect you with top expects who can help you and get you one step closer to getting back to feeling and moving like yourself again!

To schedule your first consultation, reach out to our Member Care Coordinator today!