Knee Replacement - Post-Operative Instructions
activity
Day of Surgery: Rest for the remainder of the day when you get home.
Bathing
No soaking or tub bathing
Begin showering 5 days after surgery
diet
Gradually resume regular diet, as tolerated.
The first day following surgery you may experience some nausea from anesthesia.
If you continue to experience nausea more than three day following surgery, please let your surgeon know.
Driving
No driving for 24 hours post-operatively due to anesthetic.
No driving while taking narcotic pain medication.
excercise
Physical therapy will be arranged as ordered by your surgeon. Please consult with your physical therapist and ensure you follow the plan put together by your physical therapy team and your surgeon.
educational
The medication which was used to put you to sleep will be acting in your body for the next 24 hours, so you might feel a little sleepy. This feeling will slowly wear off.
For the first 24 hours following surgery you should NOT:
Drive a car, operate machinery, or power tools.
Drink any alcoholic drinks (even beer).
Make any important decisions, sign any important or legal papers.
For your safety, we strongly suggest that a responsible adult stay with you for the rest of the day and during the night.
IF you have TED hose, we recommend wearing these until you resume your normal level of activity. These stockings help increase circulation and decrease the risk of blood clot after surgery.
medication
Aspirin 325mg by mouth twice per day.
Narcotic pain medications can cause constipation. You may take an over-the-counter stool softener or laxative if needed.
A bowl movement every other day is reasonable.
It is very important to properly dispose of unused narcotic medications. Please contact your local pharmacy or visit https://takebackday.dea.gov website for further instructions.
Please call your pharmacy as soon as possible to make sure your pain medication is able to be filled.
Notifications
Ice the incision to prevent swelling as needed. The length of time the ice has been on should be doubled and keep ice off before reapplying to prevent frostbite.
return to work
You may return to work at your surgeon’s direction
follow-up
You will follow up with your surgeon in office in approximately three weeks.
weight bearing
Weight bearing as tolerated, use walker.
wound care
Change the dressing daily.
Keep clean and dry.
Remove dressing on day 5 after surgery and keep the dressing off if no drainage is present.
Do NOT shower or get the incision wet until 5 days after surgery.
Staples will be removed in 3 weeks.