Our surgeons and nursing staff require that you have someone at home with you the first night after your surgery. It would be most helpful to have someone living with or near you for the first 3-5 days. This is very important for your safety and health that you have around-the-clock care.
That criteria includes having someone at home with you for five to seven days after surgery. "That doesn't mean someone just dropping in to check on you, but someone who can be there all the time to make sure you're safe," says Dr. Wikenheiser.
You may need help bathing, using the toilet, cooking, running errands, shopping, going to provider visits, and exercising. If you do not have someone to help you at home for the first 1 or 2 weeks after surgery, ask your provider about having a trained caregiver come to your home.
You shouldn't downhill ski or play contact sports such as football and soccer. In general, avoid sports that require jerking, twisting, pulling, or running. You should be able to do lower-impact activities, such as hiking, gardening, swimming, playing tennis, and golfing.
Sleep is imperative to the healing process. The pain will ease as time goes on and it will take some time before you have the kind of rest you did prior to your knee surgery. However, you should never try to go without sleep.
The biggest challenge in the early recovery of a TKR (up to 3 months postoperative) is the regaining of knee motion. We will send a physical therapist to your house to help you with the walking, knee exercises, and gentle manipulation of the knee.
4 – 6 weeks after surgery
You would be able to walk for 10 minutes without any assisted devices within 4 – 6 weeks of the procedure. You shouldn't need cane, crutches, walker, and other assistive devices. Your physical therapist will encourage you to walk without an assistive device for longer distances gradually.
One of the most common problems people experience after knee replacement is a stiff knee joint. 1 This can cause difficulty with activities that require a lot of bending, including going down stairs, sitting in a chair, or getting out of a car.
Let your doctor know if you have no one to help after surgery and they should be able to help you come up with ways to assist you. Make a list of questions and concerns.
You may go home with a waterproof dressing covering your incision. You can shower with this dressing on if the edges are not peeling back. If you do not have a waterproof dressing and you still have sutures, staples or stitches, you can cover your incision with plastic to keep it dry while taking a shower.
Self-care is of utmost importance during the critical first two weeks of recovery. During this time, you must diligently avoid certain daily activities such as driving and housework and follow your doctor's orders, which will include an intensive rest-ice-elevation routine and short daily exercises.
If you don't stay overnight, you will need someone to take you home because you won't be able to drive or take public transportation by yourself. It's best to have someone with you for at least the first 24 hours after general anesthesia.
In general, avoid sports that require jerking, twisting, pulling, or running. You should be able to do lower-impact activities, such as hiking, gardening, swimming, playing tennis, and golfing.
Most people are able to walk without a walker or cane about six weeks after knee replacement surgery. Recovery is different for everyone.
Pain is to be expected after the initial knee replacement, but it should not be severe. The first few days after surgery should include the highest level of pain, but your doctor will send you home with pain medication adequate for your pain level.
Supporting muscles and soft tissue can begin to atrophy due to nonuse and swelling. Increased strain can be put on the knee from improper movement. Range of motion can be diminished. The healing process can be slowed down due to lack of blood flow to the area.
Answer: Immediately after surgery you will learn to climb stairs safely using crutches. As recovery continues and you work on flexion and extension of the new knee, you will be able to climb without crutches. With the help of physical therapy and building up the quadriceps muscles, stair climbing will be a breeze.
You may still be experiencing some minor stiffness in your knee. You may have some aching or swelling in your knee, especially after sitting for long periods or upon waking. You should be able to walk without a cane or walker. Your sleeping pattern should be back to normal.
BRUISING and SWELLING are typical in the knee and whole leg region at this point after surgery. The bruising you notice in your knee area will resolve over the next weeks, but the leg swelling can persist in the next months and increase with activity. LOW GRADE FEVERS can be common at this point in your recovery.
Think about the basic everyday tasks you need to do and consider how you would manage if you were unable to bend your knee eg. getting in and out of a chair or even going to the toilet. And don't forget you won't be able to drive for a while. Try to put your pride aside and make sure you have help on hand.
General Anesthesia
We will give you medicine through your vein that will put you to sleep. Once you are asleep, the anesthesiologist will place a breathing tube down your windpipe. You will be breathing a mixture of oxygen, air and anesthetic gas that will make sure you stay asleep throughout the surgery.