What to Expect After a Total Knee Replacement

If you are due to have this type of surgery then you may be worried about what to expect after a total knee replacement. This type of concern is quite understandable. A lot of us dislike the idea of going to hospital and surgery might be something we are dreading. The good news is that this procedure is very common with tens of thousands of people in the UK successfully going through with this surgery each year. Hopefully by the end of this article you will have a much better idea of what to expect after a total knee replacement.

What to Expect After a Total Knee Replacement Operation

Going through any type of surgery is usually easier if you have a bit of information about what you can expect. So here are just a few ideas of what to expect after a total knee replacement operation.

• When you wake up after the operation you are likely to be in the recovery room. You are kept here for your own safety in case there is any requirement for you to be taking back into theatre – for example if there was a lot of bleeding post procedure. When you wake up you will likely be a big groggy. Sometimes you might have a bit of pain but the recovery nurse will be able to provide anaesthesia for this.
• Once you are well enough to do so you will be returned to the ward. The nursing staff will continue to monitor you condition closely for the next 24 hours. In the beginning you may have to have your blood pressure and other observations taken regularly – this is just normally procedure for your safety and nothing to be worried about. If you know what to expect after a total knee replacement then these measures will be less alarming.
• Once you are back on the ward a couple of hours you will probably be able to eat and drink again as normal; make sure you always check with the nursing staff before doing this.
• Your temperature and the wound site will need to be carefully monitored for any signs of infection.
• As soon as you are ready the physiotherapist will begin giving you some simple exercises to get your knee moving.
• The dressing on the wound will need to be cared for and after about ten days the sutures will need to come out (unless you have dissolvable sutures).
• In a small percentage of cases people have recoveries where things go wrong; this could include things like infection, excessive bleeding, an allergic reaction to the artificial knee, blood clots, or pressure sores. It is important to emphasise though that this is not likely to happen.

So there you have just a few ideas about what to expect after a total knee replacement. Hopefully, if you are prepared for what is about to happen, you will be far less worried about the whole thing.