| |
|
ARTHRITIS OF THE KNEE JOINT
You will be able
to go home in a regular sized car. It is better if someone can
be at home with you for at least portions of each day to assist
you with shopping, meal preparation, etc. Constant nursing care
is rarely needed at home. We will arrange for a home physical
therapist as well as for a visiting nurse to see you at home,
if your insurance will cover these services (Medicare does).
Most patients who have had a knee replacement need instruction
and visits with a physical therapist for several weeks after
they go home. Usually this is done 3 times a week for 3 to 4
weeks. It is very important that exercises be done vigorously
for the first weeks after surgery so that the knee flexibility
can be maximized.
Please do the exercises
demonstrated in Home Exercises for
the First Eight Weeks After Surgery. Continue all these
exercises for two months and do numbers 8, 9 and 10 for at least
six more months.
You must call the office after you get home to set a date for an office
visit. The first office visit after you leave the hospital is usually
6 weeks following the day of surgery. Until then continue all the restrictions
which you were taught in the hospital. If any problem develops you will
need to come in sooner.
You may be provided with a CPM machine at home. You should use it for
about four hours a day the same way you used it in the hospital.
It is not uncommon to develop some swelling
of the knee, foot and ankle in the weeks after
surgery. If this occurs, you should elevate your
leg on pillows when you are not up and about.
Wound sutures or staples are usually removed
on the fourteenth day after surgery. If you are
discharged before that time, they may be removed
by a visiting nurse at your home, or you may be
asked to come to the office for removal. One day
after staple removal you may take a shower. Up
to that point the wound should be kept dry. It
is best to shower rather than get into a tub. We
recommend avoiding a tub for at least two months
after surgery. A shower stool is helpful so as
to avoid slipping while taking a shower.
Once you get home you are not expected to
stay in bed. You should be up and about on
your walker or crutches most of the time, but
rest as much as you need to. You should also
do the exercises illustrated in Home
Exercises for the First Eight Weeks After Surgery.
| Aqua-therapy, also
known as pool rehabilitation may be prescribed by Dr.
Huddleston. He will direct you to a rehabilitation center
with a trained and
qualified pool therapist.
|
| DRIVING AFTER KNEE REPLACEMENT SURGERY |
Driving is best to
avoid until about 6 weeks after the surgery, but avoidance
is not essential if the left knee has been operated on and you
drive an automatic. Driving is not likely to injure the knee
replacement, but you may not be able to operate the car as well
as needed to prevent an accident. Dr. Huddleston can not judge
whether you are safe to drive from a legal standpoint but can
simply tell you if you are safe to drive from a standpoint on
injuring your knee replacement.
| RETURNING TO WORK AFTER KNEE REPLACEMENT
SURGERY |
You will probably
not return to work for 6 to 8 weeks after the operation. Quite
a few patients do return earlier, depending on the nature of
their work, and depending on how important it is for them to
be back at work. Discuss this with Dr. Huddleston if you need
to be back at work sooner.
| The
first office visit after you leave the hospital
is usually
6 weeks after surgery. You should call Dr. Huddleston’s
secretary at 901-7070 to schedule
an appointment. Sometimes Dr. Huddleston will
have you come in earlier than six weeks to check
the wound. |
| PROBLEMS YOU MAY ENCOUNTER AT HOME
|
- Excessive swelling of your leg and foot:
It is not uncommon to develop some swelling in
the first few weeks after surgery. If this occurs,
you should elevate your leg whenever you are not
up to walking. However, excessive swelling of the
foot and lower leg can be due to thrombosis (blood
clots) in the veins in the leg.
| We
should be notified if swelling is associated
with pain or tenderness in the calf muscles,
or if the swelling just seems over-excessive,
and doesn’t respond to elevation. |
- Chest pain, a cough
or shortness of breath may
be signs of embolism.
Please do not ignore
these symptoms. Call
us right away.
- Drainage
from
the
wound,
or
increasing
redness
around
the
wound,
could
signify
impending
infection.
Our
office
should
be
notified,
and
in
most
instances
you
will
need
to
come
in
and
let
Dr.
Huddleston
take
a
look
at
it.
- High
fever could
also
be
a
sign
of
impending
infection.
You
need
to
take
your
temperature
twice
a
day
for
a month
after
surgery.
Take
it
three
times
a
day
if
it
is
elevated
over
99
degrees.
If
you
get
two
readings,
at
least
three
hours
apart,
of
over
100
degrees,
you
need
to
notify
us
immediately.
- Increasing
knee
pain.
Pain
should
be
decreasing
from
day
to
day.
If it
seems
to
be
steadily
increasing,
let
us
know.
- The knee
loses
motion.
If
Dr.
Huddleston
feels that
your
knee
flexibility
is
not
satisfactory
(because
of
developing
scar
tissue,
see Complications
of
Total
Knee
Replacement Surgery)
he
may
recommend
manipulation of
the
knee
under
general
anesthetic.
This
|
