The first two to three weeks post-op is generally the time patients feel most discouraged due to the pain. It's hard to get up from a chair, it's difficult going up and down stairs, you're moving slowly and you have to use a walker because you have no strength or balance.
Knee replacement pain: The week following surgery
This is often considered the most painful stage of the recovery process. Your doctor will prescribe medications to help you manage your pain level.
Patients will develop swelling in the leg, and there may be some bruising or redness around the incision area one week after surgery. “These are normal findings,” Dr. Lyon assures. “There might be slight drainage from the incision, but resolving.”
Your body just went through a major surgery and needs time to heal. Most people can resume daily activities with reduced pain approximately three to six weeks after surgery. Full recovery can take anywhere from four months to a year.
Week 1 Post-Op
Day 2: On the second day, after your surgery, you can expect to be able to walk better. Day 3: On the third you will be able to shower.
Don't Overdo It
Signs of over-exercising include swelling of the entire leg and lingering pain that stretches into the evening or into the next day.
Can you sleep on your side after knee replacement surgery? You can, but it's wise not to do so until at least a few weeks after surgery, when you can start bending your knee. Make sure you lay on your non-operative side. Sleeping this way makes sure no pressure falls on the knee you had surgery on.
A surgeon can provide instructions for using both prescription and over-the-counter NSAIDs. Those offered by prescription are meloxicam (Mobic), voltaren (Diclofenac), indomethacin (Indocin) and celecoxib (Celebrex). Over-the-counter medications are ibuprofen or naproxen (such as Advil, Motrin or Aleve).
Raise (elevate) your leg above the level of your heart by placing a pillow under your calf or ankle, not your knee. You can also try massage, aromatherapy, music therapy or other non-medicine ways to relieve pain. Take the prescription pain medicine as directed.
TKA patients begin rehabilitation during the seven-day bedrest period, with the goals of decreasing swelling, increasing ROM, promoting normal leg control and promoting normal gait with an assistive device.
Furthermore, with the advent of joint prostheses coated with hydroxyapatite, which work by promoting primary bone formation to fill the gap between the prosthesis and the host bone, the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may be counterproductive.
Keep your feet and knees pointed straight ahead, not turned in or out. Your knees should be either stretched out or bent in the way your therapist instructed. Sit in a firm chair with a straight back and armrests. After your surgery, avoid stools, sofas, soft chairs, rocking chairs, and chairs that are too low.
It is quite common to feel fatigued after surgery, regardless of whether it was a minor or major procedure. This is because your body expends a lot of energy afterward trying to heal. There is an immune response that kicks in, which can be physically draining as well.
The manipulation of the knee joint to place the parts leads to pain after the procedure. Postoperative pain after knee replacement surgery is related to the healing, stretching, bending, and rotating that the knee must do after surgery.
Your other senses are distracting you during the day when there is more noise and more going on around you, these distractions are no longer there at night. In other words, you'll notice your pain more at night, so it bothers you more.
There may be a significant correlation between worst pain at 48 hours and return to normal activity within seven days. There may be a risk that patients can not return to normal activities within seven days because of worst pain experience at 48 hours after day surgery.
The best sleeping position just after your surgery is sleeping on your back. You should make sure that your operative leg stays as straight as possible to avoid hypertension of the knee and keep proper blood flow to the surgery site. If you are sleeping on your back, put the pillow under your calf and knee.
Sleeping on the Stomach
A popular sleeping choice, but one that should be avoided after knee replacement surgery. Sleeping in this position puts excessive pressure on your knee, irritating the surgical site and can harm healing.
The best strategy for controlling your pain after surgery is around the clock pain control with Tylenol (acetaminophen) and Motrin (ibuprofen or Advil). Alternating these medications with each other allows you to maximize your pain control.
The pain after a knee replacement is typically no worse than one of your worst days before you had surgery. However, you can feel this way for the first two to three weeks after the day of surgery.
Balancing movement with getting enough rest is necessary to heal from knee replacement surgery. For the first few months, you may have some mild-to-moderate swelling of the affected knee. Getting the appropriate rest and keeping your leg elevated, as well as applying ice, can help boost healing time.
Patients are often instructed not to take ibuprofen and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) before or after surgery because of increased bleeding risk.
The biggest challenge in the early recovery of a TKR (up to 3 months postoperative) is the regaining of knee motion.
4 – 6 weeks after surgery
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. You should be able to start driving again if your doctor clears you.
Recliners and sofas are not recommended after your knee or hip replacement because they are not supportive, difficult to get out of and can limit range of motion. Straight back chairs with arm rests are suggested for safety.