Recovery After Total Knee Replacement Surgery
In the recovery room:
Immediately after the surgery you will be shifted to the recovery room where you will be observed for a period of one hour before being shifted to your own room. You will be able to meet your relatives in the recovery room. After assessing your vitals, you will be then shifted out of the recovery room.
In your room:
Most People feel that there is intense pain after Total Knee Replacement Surgery and hence they are very scared of the surgery and the post-surgery period.
Remember that the primary reason for opting for Total Knee Replacement Surgery is to have a pain-free life and this life starts immediately once you are taken in the operation theater.
We use spinal anesthesia along with epidural analgesia or femoral block during surgery. During the period of surgery you will be completely relaxed and will feel no pain due to the above two.
We insert a catheter in your back (epidural) or thigh (femoral) which stays there for 48 hours after surgery. This tube is attached to an computerized pump which gives controlled doses of pain medication This procedure is done by our specially trained anesthetist.
We start soft diet 5 hrs after surgery. You will be visited by the anesthetist and by Dr. Rajesh Garg in the evening of the surgery.
Total Knee Replacement Surgery Recovery
Day 1 After Surgery:
Exercises to be done by you
On the day after the surgery, your surgeon will begin Knee Rehabilitation Exercises for speedy recovery, which were taught to you prior to the surgery begun. All these exercises help in improving body circulation and the circulation of the operated limb there by reducing the swelling. It also prepares you for early walking. These exercises also help in reducing the incidence of calf clots (deep vein thrombosis and lung complications pulmonary embolism) secondary to calf clots.
Upper Limb exercises: Done either in sitting or propped up in bed.
- Raising the arms by the side.
- Spreading the arms by the side.
- Bringing the arms together in front.
Lower Limb exercises:
- Ankle pumps
- Static quadriceps exercises
Day 2 After Surgery:
Visit by Dr. Rajesh Garg in the morning
- Dressing will be done and the drain will be removed
- Urine catheter will be removed
- Post-operative X-ray will be done
- You will be made to sit at the edge of the bed in the morning and taught exercises
- In the evening you will be made to stand and walk with the walker
Day 3 After Surgery:
Visit by Dr. Rajesh Garg in the morning
- You will continue with the exercises
- Toilet training and stair climbing will be taught
- You will be made to sit on a chair and on the sofa
- You will be taught to climb the stairs
- In the evening, you will be taken walking for a hospital tour
- You will be taught how to get in and out of a car
- Discharge from the hospital
Goals Before Discharge:
- Ability to stand and walk with support
- Ability to bend Knee more than 75 degrees.
- Ability to lift the leg straight up in lying down position.
- To be able to sit on a toilet seat.
- To be able to get up from sitting position.
- Good balance while walking
Total Knee Replacement Surgery after Care:
- Once you reach your home, a competent physiotherapist will visit you from day 6 to day 15.
- Sutures will be removed at 15 days.
- During this 15 day period the physiotherapist will train you to strengthen your muscles and make you move around your locality with the help of a tripod stick.
- On day 15, sutures will be removed for you at of your own home
- You will be advised to avoid sitting on the floor and using Indian style toilets.
- Your follow-up visit to Dr. Rajesh Garg will be a month after the surgery.
What to Expect after Total Knee Replacement Surgery?
Life after Total Knee Replacement Surgery is bound to slowly improve through a combination of good diet, rehabilitation exercises and adequate rest. Soon you will find that strength and mobility in your joints to go back to your day-to-day activities.
Sports after Total Knee Replacement Surgery
Returning to sports after a surgery should be a realistic goal for all, but it shouldn’t be just that. A good sportsperson should always aim at prolonging their sports career and that’s only possible when a rehab regime specified by the therapist is strictly followed. Recovery from Sports Injuries & Orthopaedic Surgery varies with age, overall health.