Medical Information
After your return home
You will experience some soreness, tenderness, tingling, numbness, and itching around the incision, especially for the first few days. You will likely need some pain relief to ease the discomfort.
Swelling and bruising are normal after an operation. It’s usually nothing to worry about and will settle in due course.
The amount of swelling varies from person to person. Some patients find it quite troublesome for several weeks. Swelling around your knee will increase your pain and make the joint stiff. Follow the post-op exercises, and when watching TV or working at a desk, keep your knee elevated to manage swelling and drainage.
You may be asked to use a cryo/cuff or ice pack over the knee to help control the swelling, as directed by your clinical team.
Your mobility
For the next six weeks, you will need to:
use crutches to keep as much weight off your injured knee as possible
wear your knee brace (it can be removed when necessary to help you wash and dress, but when the brace is off, the knee must be kept straight)
continue to wear your elastic stockings to reduce the risk of a blood clot developing
The need to wear the knee brace and use crutches will affect your ability to get around and reduce your mobility in and around the house – bending, reaching, sitting and standing will be more awkward. You will also find that daily tasks like shopping, cooking and cleaning are more challenging, and you may want to get someone to help you.
It is normal to experience some discomfort when you first start moving about as your legs and feet may be swollen.
You will also not be able to drive during this period.
Wound care
After surgery, it is most likely that your wound will have a waterproof dressing which can remain in place for an average of 7-14 days. This will enable you to shower without getting it wet. When showering, place your back to the shower to avoid the shower directly going onto your dressing. If the dressing becomes wet and starts to peel off, you can replace it with a clean dressing, taking care not to touch the incision site and the inside of the dressing. Make sure the hospital gives you a spare dressing to take home.
Signs of infection
You must seek urgent medical advice from your doctor if you start to notice the following:
the dressing is continuously leaking or saturated due to excessive bleeding.
the surrounding skin has become red and is spreading outwards.
an increase in pain or odour.
a change in the size of the incision.
the dressing has moved, and the wound is now visible.
a yellow or green foul-smelling discharge.
blisters developing around your surgery site.
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