Life After Knee Replacement

Dr.Aashish Chaudhry, 3 mins read

What you can do and what can’t?

Today, knee replacement surgeries are more efficient and successful than ever before. Assisted by high-resolution images, scans and cutting-edge robotic assistance, Delhi’s best doctors for knee replacement are performing more successful knee replacement surgeries with lesser recovery time and greater patient satisfaction. The future is surely bright for knee replacement, which is also called total knee arthroplasty. The surgery itself is meant to help relieve pain and get people active again after they have suffered a knee injury or have Osteoarthritis.

After surgery most people notice significant improvements in their quality of life overall, however, this won’t happen in one go. Every medical process takes time and it usually takes most people about three months before can return to most activities, and it can take anywhere between six months to a year to make a full recovery with full strength. It doesn’t matter if you get the best knee replacement surgery in Dwarka or Delhi, recovery will always take time and patience, and we urge our patients who come to us for knee replacement surgery in Dwarka to manage their expectations and understand the bearings of the recovery process before they go in for surgery. Read on to learn more about what range of motions you can perform and to what extent after undergoing knee surgery.

You’ll have to stay in the hospital for about three or four days based on some factors like your overall health after surgery, helping you manage early on, and learning the exercises; it could also depend on whether or not you have immediate help at home on your return.

Our team of physical therapists will have you exercising and walking a little with an aid, such as a cane or walker, the day after surgery.

We’ve also had many patients who got discharged from the hospital the same day as their surgery. Remember if you do not follow the prescribed exercise program diligently during and after hospitalization, you may never be able to regain the mobility you hoped for. A doctor will consider it safe for you to go home when you can get in and out of bed without assistance, go to the bathroom without help, manage your pain on your own, eating and drink well, whether you can walk with a cane or crutches. They may even require you to walk a few flights of stairs in case you’re in an apartment building, see if you remember the recovery exercises correctly and whether or not you’ll be able to identify signs of any complications and when to call a doctor for help.

Recovery at home:

When you’re back home, you might need help from a family member or healthcare worker for some time. Make sure you’ve arranged things beforehand to make your living area accessible for you. You’ll also be on medication for a while for pain relief. Apart from this, you’ll be on the path back, and moving to perform different tasks will come with some challenges. Here’s some advice on how you can avoid mishaps while performing some activities at home.

When you getting dressed remember to:

• Pull your pants on when you’re standing up. Take a chair or on the edge of the bed, for more hip stability. 
• Have devices that will help you get dressed without too much bending, for instance, a reacher, a long-handled shoehorn, elastic shoelaces, and an aid for putting on your socks.
• Always wear pants, socks, or underwear on the leg that you’ve had surgery on.
• When it’s time to undress, remove your clothes from the surgery side last.

When you’re sitting, remember to:

• Try not to be seated in the same position for more than 45 to 60 minutes.
• Keep your feet and knees pointed straight ahead, not turning inwards or out. Your knees could either be stretched out or bent in the way your therapist has instructed.
• Sit on a firm chair with a straight backrest and armrests. After surgery, avoid stools, sofas, soft chairs, rocking chairs, and very low chairs.
• When getting up from a chair, first slide toward the edge, and use the arms of the chair or a walker or crutches for support to get up.

When you’re walking, remember to:

• Use the crutches or walker until your doctor tells you it is alright to stop, which is around 4 to 6 weeks post-surgery. Use a cane only when you are told to do so.
• Put only a limited amount of weight on your knee and while standing, stretch your knees as straight as you can.
• Take small steps when you are turning

Also Read: What is Knee Replacement Surgery?