Low-Impact Recreational Activities

Enjoyable activities that protect your joint.

What it helps

Getting back to the activities you enjoy in ways that are kind to your joints — the whole point of building this strength.

How to do it

Choose activities that keep you moving without jarring the joint - walking, cycling and golf are three common ones.
Start with a short session and add time before you add intensity.
Spread them across the week rather than doing everything in one day.
Keep the effort at a level where you could still hold a conversation.

Tips

The picture shows three examples, not a list to work through - the best activity is the one you will keep doing.
A little stiffness the next day is usual; a flare that lingers means the session was too long, not that the activity was wrong.
Your surgeon or therapist can say when each activity is a reasonable one to add.

Commonly done as you like.

Where this appears in recovery

Low-Impact Recreational Activities is part of 251 recovery programs, most often at the long-term recovery (months 6–12), return to contact sport (months 9–15) and return to sport (months 9–18) stages, among others. Each program shows how it fits alongside the other movements:

All exercise guides · Condition guides · Recovery education

These are general exercise guides, not a personal prescription. The repetitions and frequency shown are what's commonly used — your own surgeon or therapist may advise something different, and their guidance comes first.