Still Struggling After Knee Injury or Surgery? Here’s What’s Missing
How Should Your Knee Really Move?
And Reasons Post-surgery Recovery Often Falls Short
It’s an active time of year — but many people are sitting on the sidelines with knee trouble.
Whether it’s a strain, ACL or meniscus tear, or even a total knee replacement, recovery can leave you wondering,
“Why doesn’t my knee feel quite right?”
You’ve followed the ortho’s recommendations and done your physical therapy exercises. But you still feel …
- Pain
- Unsteadiness
- Instability, like your knee might buckle
- A heavy sensation
- Stiffness
- Poor coordination
You’re not imagining it — these issues are very real, and they are common amongst clients at the Bridging® Institute.
In fact, some of the top knee-related YouTube searches are about stiffness and poor movement months after surgery. Further validation that you’re not the only one whose knee is not quite right!
What Can You Do?
Instead of just focusing on strengthening or stretching individual muscles, the Bridging process looks are how muscles coordinate with each other.
Do the muscles coordinate in all of the essential ways, including
- Above and below the knee?
- Front to back?
- Left to right?
- From ankle to knee?
- From knee to hip?
If you’ve had an injury, surgery, or strain, these muscle relationships often break down — and they don’t rebuild themselves through exercise, stretching, taping, or dry needling alone.
The Role of Bridging: Reset How Your Muscles Work Together
Muscles DO go back together with Bridging. That’s what Bridging does — connects the muscle relationships back to how they are supposed to work.
Think of it like putting magnets together — once the connection is made, your movement becomes natural and stays that way, especially when you stay active.
Videos to Explain and Demonstrate Knee Function
Like most things, a picture is worth a thousand words. Here are two short videos to help you better understand how your knee should move and how surgery disrupts essential muscle relationships.
To see the concepts put into action, the third video is a case study of how Bridging uniquely helps reset the knee muscle to quickly get you back on track.
Video 1: How a Knee Should MoveGet a visual and explanation of basic knee movements and transitions that are key for squatting, stepping, and balance. These are often impaired with injury, stress or surgery. |
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Video 2: Impacts of Surgery on the Knee and LegSurgery has three common impacts which are often overlooked in the recovery process. You will see each and a brief demonstration of how Bridging resets the muscle relationships. |
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Case Study: After Sue’s Meniscus RepairIn this video from a session two months after surgery, you see how we check for key micromovement transitions and reset the muscle relationships impacted by the surgery. |
Ready to Reclaim Your Knee Function?
At any point past your injury or surgery, Bridging can reset muscle coordination to reset knee function.
When your knee still feels “off,” Bridging may be the missing piece. Most people feel tangible improvements in 2–3 sessions, with a follow-up to fine tune function as you return to your usual activities.