Prepare For Knee Replacement
Surgery

Your orthopaedic surgeon will explain that it's important to start preparing for your total joint replacement several weeks before the actual surgery date. You should expect to put aside about 6 weeks for recovery, so get organised, schedule appointments and take care of as much business as possible before surgery. To prepare for surgery, check our 20 pre-surgery tips to make sure you're ready.

Your surgery-what to expect

Before hospital admission, your surgeon or hospital will provide you with instructions to follow before you arrive at hospital, an appointed arrival time, some pre-surgery health assessments and information on your expected length of stay. A hospital stay following a total knee replacement is usually between 3 to 7 days but your surgeon will make the final decision about discharge from hospital.

In preparation for joint replacement surgery, once you are admitted (checked-in) to the hospital, you'll be transferred to the operating room on your bed or a trolley. An IV (intravenous) tube will be inserted in your arm to administer fluids and medications, including antibiotics. You will have either a spinal or general anaesthetic (or both) and this will have been discussed beforehand with your anaesthetist. Elastic stockings may be put on your legs to help the blood flow. You may also have compression sleeves wrapped around your feet and calves, connected to a machine that inflates them with air to promote blood flow, and decrease the possibility of blood clots.

The operating theatre is often bright, busy and cool in temperature. You can expect several hospital staff present there, wearing face masks. Joint replacement surgery generally lasts 1 to 2 hours (sometimes more depending upon your individual circumstances).

After the joint replacement procedure, you will be transferred to the recovery room where nursing staff monitor your recovery until you are awake and alert. In addition to the IV tube, you may have a catheter tube to drain your bladder and a wound drain (tube coming out of the skin near your knee attached to a bottle/container). You may also be wearing special elastic stockings to help blood flow. Time spent in recovery is often 1 to 3 hours but varies depending upon your response to anaesthetic. Visitors are usually not permitted in the recovery area.

After recovery, you will be transferred to your hospital ward or room. Nursing staff will continue to closely monitor your progress and you will be administered pain medication to manage pain. Don't hesitate to ask for pain relief if you are feeling uncomfortable.

It may come as a surprise to you that after total joint replacement surgery you'll be encouraged to begin physiotherapy almost straight away. You will be encouraged to breathe deeply and cough to clear your lungs.

In the first few days after surgery, your orthopaedic surgeon, nurses and physiotherapists will monitor your condition and progress closely. You'll spend time resting but also a lot of time exercising your new joint. Your pain medication will be reduced gradually, your IV drip removed, catheter and wound drain removed (if you had them) you'll return to a diet of solids - and you'll become increasingly mobile. As you progress, you will be able to walk with a walking frame, crutches, and/or walking stick, climb up and down stairs, and to get in and out of a car. Hydrotherapy may be recommended to assist your recovery.

Leaving hospital will usually occur when you have reached certain rehabilitative 'milestones', such as getting in and out of bed unassisted, or walking a short distance. Your surgeon will assess whether you can go directly home or somewhere that can help further with your recovery and rehabilitation. Your hospital will discuss arrangements for your continued rehabilitation, which may include visits with a physiotherapist or staying at a rehabilitation care facility.