Cycling is one of the best rehab exercises after a knee replacement. It is low impact, strengthens your muscles, and helps restore range of motion (ROM).
But there’s a problem: exercise bikes aren’t designed to rehab knees preparing for and fresh out of surgery.
In fact, a traditional stationary bike requires more than 100° of knee bend to make a full pedal rotation without too much pain. If your knee is only at 50–60° of flexion (which is common right after surgery), you know you can’t pedal a full revolution on that bike.
Todd H., a physical therapist, told me, “I know a few patients who had a lot of fear of moving their knee…they look at a traditional bike and that fear goes through the roof.”
After 12 years helping more than 30,000 patients in physical therapy clinics, OrthoBike HERO knows how to save you from this fear!
Why the Right Bike Matters Before and After Surgery
The best recovery starts before your surgery date. This is called prehab, and it’s a proven way to improve surgical outcomes. Doctors say that preoperative ROM is a strong predictor of the postoperative ROM after total knee replacement (TKR).
By actively pedaling before your knee replacement, you can:
- Strengthen the muscles around the knee
- Improve circulation and joint mobility
- Boost overall physical and psychological conditioning for an easier recovery
You might even discover the pain subsides enough that you can reconsider surgery.
After surgery, the same bike becomes your rehab partner—helping you regain range of motion, rebuild strength, and keep your heart and lungs in shape.
Active Rehab vs. Passive Devices
Post-op patients may be given passive devices for immediate rehab at home:
- CPM (Continuous Passive Motion) machines that move one leg for you
- Motorized pedalers that move both legs under remote or pre-programmed control
These devices can help maintain some motion or stretching, but they all have limitations:
- No active muscle engagement — your muscles aren’t activated and driving the movement
- Single-leg focus — CPM only works the operated leg
- No cardiovascular benefit and no strengthening of the non-operated leg
OrthoBike HERO is different.
It’s 100% patient-powered, moves both legs in thousands of revolutions, and actively engages muscles in both pedaling directions while protecting the new joint from painful over-bending.
It strengthens both legs, supports circulation, and preserves cardiovascular fitness—before, during, and long after formal rehab is over.
This makes the OrthoBike HERO the only therapy device in the lineup that:
- Engages muscles actively
- Works both legs at the same time
- Improves cardiovascular fitness
- Supports prehab, rehab, and long-term mobility
Designed for Limited Flexion—<60°
The genius of OrthoBike HERO is in its patented adjustable pedal crank system. Short crank arms mean you can complete a full pedal rotation with much less knee bend—sometimes as little as 50°.
You gradually lengthen the crank arms and inch the seat closer to the bike, step-by-step, to incrementally and systematically progress your knee flexion.
No forcing. No pain. Just steady, progressive improvement under your control.
True Adjustability = Seat + Resistance + Crank Length
Most so-called “adjustable” bikes only let you change seat position and resistance level. That’s fine for fitness but useless if you can’t bend your knee far enough to pedal.
OrthoBike HERO adds a third dimension of adjustability: pedal crank length. This is the game-changer for post-knee-replacement patients.
Clinically Proven in Real-World Recovery
OrthoBike isn’t an untested gadget. The clinic version of the bike has been used for over 12 years, helping more than 30,000 patients regain mobility after surgery and injury.
Physical therapists rely on it because it makes early, active, and repetitive rehab exercise possible to supplement the PTs’ hands. Nothing else can meet this need.
The Bottom Line
If you’re looking for the best exercise bike for knee replacement, the answer isn’t a typical recumbent or upright model. The answer is a bike built specifically for limited knee flexion.
Before surgery: Build strength, mobility, and confidence.
After surgery: Restore motion, prevent deconditioning, and get back to living pain-free.
With OrthoBike HERO, you can start where you are, move every day, and heal with hope and confidence, before and after surgery.
Ready to Ride?
Learn more about OrthoBike HERO and how it can speed your recovery →
