What to Expect the First Week After your Knee Replacement Surgery

Week 1 After Knee Replacement Surgery

If your surgery was performed in an outpatient surgery center then you would have likely been discharged to your home the day of surgery.

In this article I will be discussing what you need during the first week after total knee replacement surgery.

Car Ride Home

This video discusses a couple tips and tricks to getting home from the surgical center. The number 1 tip is to ride home in the back seat. I recommend entering from the side of the car that allows you to turn your backside toward the back seat with your surgical leg being closer to the back tire of the car.

Once you get home you can expect to sleep and rest the remainder of the day. Be sure to have plenty of fresh water available to drink and have your walker nearby as you will be going to the bathroom every hour or two.

Frequent urination is a common symptoms for the first couple days after surgery.

Manage Your Medications

Your surgical team will review your medication requirements before surgery then once again upon discharge. Be sure to set timers and reminders since you will still be a bit groggy after surgery for a day or two.

Physical Therapy Begins

In most cases your physical therapy will begin within a day or two following surgery. If you have not been prescribed home health physical therapy then you will be expected to schedule your outpatient initial evaluation within 48-hours after surgery unless specifically told otherwise.

Between discharge from the hospital and your first outpatient therapy treatment you may be told to perform ankle pumps, gentle range of motion, and supervised walking with your forward wheeled walker. This is mainly to reduce the chances of blood clots and to improve fluid mobility out of the sugical limb.

Once Physical Therapy Has Started

Once you have started outpatient physical therapy you will be provided with specific home exercise activities to perform. You will also be given more detailed instructions about your procedure and what to expect from recovery.

For more information please check out our YouTube channel Total Therapy Solutions.