Biking, Walking Best for New Knees(replacement patients. We strongly di...),Health

"We strongly dissuade [them from] jogging," he said. "I tell them activities that are OK are walking, biking, hiking, riding an exercise bike, riding an elliptical trainer and walking on the treadmill."

He suggests doubles tennis, not singles, since it is not as aggressive. He generally allows downhill or cross-country skiers to resume that sport when they are healed. And he thinks golf is fine.

While the study confirms the experts' suspicions about which activities are more stressful on the new knee, it can't be determined from the study if the increased forces will lead to a higher failure rate in the joint, said Oakes, who is also an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery and chief of the joint replacement service at the University of California Los Angeles' David Geffen School of Medicine.

More information

To learn more about knee replacement, visit the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeon.

SOURCES: Darryl D'Lima, M.D., Ph.D., director, Orthopaedic Research Laboratory, Scripps Clinic, La Jolla, Calif.; Daniel Oakes, M.D, staff orthopedic surgeon, Santa Monica-UCLA & Orthopaedic Hospital, Santa Monica, Calif., assistant professor, orthopaedic surgery, and chief, joint replacement service, University of Southern California Los Angeles, David Geffen School of Medicine; March 6, 2008, presentation, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons annual meeting, San Francisco