As of today, it has been almost six weeks since I had surgery on my knee. Initially, I was VERY nervous for this surgery. It was my second surgery for the year (yep…I had my gallbladder out in January) and it was my leg being operated on. My means of getting around. I was terrified. Thankfully, my knee surgery went well and the recovery has gone pretty well too. These do’s and don’ts for knee surgery recovery are super important.
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Knee Surgery Do’s and Don’ts
One of the biggest things that will help you after any surgery, especially knee surgery, is to follow ALL of the post-operative directions. Failure to follow the directions can make your recovery longer, or…worse, it you can injure yourself further. While some of the directions seem silly, just follow them!
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DO take your physical therapy seriously
Like the directions your doctor gives you, the directions and exercises your physical therapist gives you are important too. I do physical therapy twice a week for two hours each day. On my days at home, I do the exercises they have told me to do. I can’t tell you how many people I see at PT that walk in with flip flops on (and they are on crutches because of a knee surgery) and then proceed to complain about everything they are told to do. Do you want to walk normally again?
DO ice and elevate
The best thing you can do for your knee surgery recovery is to ice and elevate regularly. We tried propping my knee up with pillows, but it became very annoying to constantly have to fuss with them to get them right. A week after surgery, I bought a blue wedge designed to elevate the leg higher than my heart. Even now, almost 6 weeks later, I am swelling or I have pain when I’ve done too much, simply elevating my knee and icing alleviates almost all of my pain.
DO follow a healthy diet
This is probably the last thing you want to hear, but prior to my knee surgery, I joined Weight Watchers. I figured that would be the easiest plan for me to follow. The last thing you want to do, when you are recovering, is to gain a bunch of weight. That added weight will not be good on your knee. Not to mention, I am a firm believer that if we fuel our body with healthy foods, those healthy foods will help us heal faster than sugars and unnecessary carbs.
DO find the best place to sleep
Your bed may not be the best place to sleep. Not only is it usually on the second floor of the house (unless you are lucky and your bedroom is on the main floor) and the stairs will most likely be tricky, but the potential to roll over and tweak your knee is high. I have slept on a recliner down in my family room for almost 6 weeks now. It is truly the most comfortable place for me. I tend to roll over to my side when sleeping and right now, that would not feel good on my inner knee.
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DON’T sit in the front seat in the beginning
In the very beginning, I could only sit in the back seat. My kids loved it because one of them always got shotgun! Every movement the car made was felt by my knee. So what I did was sit in the backseat with my back against the door and my leg propped up. Piece of advice, pay attention to the person driving. Sudden stops can’t always be avoided. Paying attention will hep you stabilize your knee so it’s not tweaked too much.
DON’T overdo things
While you need to work hard at PT, know your limits. If you are going to the store, use one of those motorized carts the stores offer. Yes, they can be frustrating and embarrassing, but overdoing it by walking (even with your crutches) will do nothing positive for you and it will prolong your recovery. For instance, yesterday I did not use my crutches at all the entire day while I was home. Today I tried to walk in Sam’s Club to do our shopping and 10 minutes or so into the trip, my husband had to go get me a cart. My physical therapist told me the minute I start walking with a limp, I need to grab the crutches.
DON’T get discouraged
The one thing no one tells you when you before surgery is the amount of emotions you will go through. I can’t tell you how many times I broke down and cried. The first time was the day after surgery and I could barely bend my knee at all when I was doing the heel slides exercises my surgeon told me to do. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it was not that! The most recent time I broke down into tears was yesterday when I panicked about my second knee surgery in 2019 and all of the recovery involved with that one. Despite ALL of those emotions, don’t get discouraged. If there is one thing I know, while the recovery is slow, I am getting better and so will you. Just follow your directions!
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I hope this list of do’s and don’ts for knee surgery recovery is helpful. Remember, every single person’s recovery is different. Try not to focus on where you think you should be. Instead, focus on doing your best at each and every PT session and listen to your body. If something is causing you pain, stop and speak with your therapist. This way they can determine if you should continue on with that exercise or stop it. Good luck!
I’m facing knee surgery this week for a fractured patella . I’m slightly stressed about the pain after and the recovery . I’m not a quitter and I want to fully recover . The duration of recovery is what depresses me. Thank you for this information… most helpful .
Good luck with your surgery and recovery!
I’m 6 weeks In recovery after I broke my knee cap and I get so frustrated. I had to go to a walk In clinic because my incision was getting infected and it hurt so bad and my knee got so tight to walk mind you I was doing so good In therapy and my incision wasn’t hurting.. . Well I took all my antibiotics and my incision is still hurting and my knee is a little hot to the touch :(. I see my surgery dr on May 10. Just be careful and take care of your incision. It’s not bad when you start therapy. Well good luck on your surgery!
I hope all goes well with your surgeon. I’m sorry you’re having issues with your incision.
I had the same kind of surgery back July 6th and here it is August 30th and I have my first physical therapy coming… I started walking when I got out using walking, crutches and don’t get along and I haven’t slept in my bed either… My family have been there for me…. I do get out when I’m up to it or watch tv and crochet! By the end of the year I’m hoping to walk again, maybe sooner… And I was told I could have the plate removed if I wanted to but I’m not sure I want to go through all that stuff again!!! Good luck! God Bless!
I usually don’t leave comments but I really enjoyed your knee do’s and don’ts blog. It was super encouraging as I’m about 6 weeks into my knee surgery. Thank you for sharing! I’m sorry to hear you had a second surgery.
I’m glad you found it encouraging! I knew going into the first surgery, that I would need a second surgery. The maci procedure is always a two part surgery since they need a sample of the cartilage to grow more cartilage!!
I’m on the waiting of Knee replacement, right to this moment I’m cared . I heard many things about after surgery, the recovery is very painful this is what I heard. To think that I alive on my own. I have roomate but she’s working too I don’t want to relay on her.
Good luck to you. Just follow your doctors orders and definitely check out the things I posted that helped me with surgery. The biggest thing was the wedge to elevate my legs. Pillows were terrible.
You’re so right about the need of a TRUE wedge. I had a zillion pillow types and configurations. Only to realize I really did need a wedge end of first week at home.
How old are you and have you ever got knee injections and they just didn’t work…and are you glad you had the surgery…
I am 38. I did two sets of knee injections (same knee) two summers in a row. They worked OK, except for the fact that I had issues with my knee dislocating. I dislocated it again a year ago which prompted me to need surgery for the cartilage and the stabilization of my knee.
Hi, just read your blog and found it most interesting. I’m 9 weeks into my full knee replacement and recognise a lot of the points you make. The biggest challenge for me has been pain and lack of sleep. Leading to some of the lowest times I’ve ever experienced. We need to talk about recovery as much as possible as most people have no idea just how tough it is. I’m constantly told by those who have had hip replacement that they don’t understand why my knee is so painful! I also believe that the medical profession needs to be more honest about length of recovery. My surgeon told me I could drive in 6 weeks. What he didn’t say was that I would be in great pain, have little access to strong painkillers and no sleep!! Thanks for your blog, it helps to hear that I wasn’t alone. At three am lying on the sofa I certainly felt it! Good luck! Adrian Owen, Worcestershire, England.
I hope things get better for you and your recovery goes well!
I am 3 weeks into post ORIF surgery following a fall in which i broke my knee in half. like you, the surgeon blithely said ‘oh it’ll be 6 weeks recovery’ – but bearing in mind i am still in a non bending slab brace and still have staples in i don’t think 6 weeks is realistic AT ALL. I reckon it’ll be 3 months to be fully mobile again. The first 2 weeks were awful – i was in hospital for 4 days post op. as it was an open wound and i needed IV antibiotics. The oromorph i was given was useless at first. Now i am painkiller free except one at bedtime. Sleeping with a full brace is ‘challenging’! Now though i am more mobile ( or at least more confident). However, the staples come out Monday and i will be fitted with the first of several ‘range of movement’ braces to get the flexion back in the knee.
I had no post op information at all – fortunately my GP surgery is brilliant and the nurse has been changing the dressing weekly (after it almost became infected) even though no one told me i had to get it changed…
I just with the surgeons had been honest about post op recovery – particularly that mine was quite a difficult surgery due to the kind of break i had.
Good luck!
Was also wondering if we needed to get an automatic car? How do people find the driving after they’ve had the operation/physio?
My surgery was done on my right leg so I had a lot longer that I could not drive since I need my right leg for driving. However, almost 10 months out of surgery and driving is just fine. I drive an automatic. I have no clue about driving a manual.
I highly recommend the wedge I mentioned in the post. It made sleeping so much easier for me. I also was in a brace that kept my leg straight for 133 or so days. It was terrible. I totally get it. I didn’t have staples or the type of surgery you had, but I hear ya on everything else! Good luck! I wish you a speedy recovery.
Hello. Yes ,I’ve had a hip replacement and now 4 weeks into recovering from a total knee replacement. The knee is more difficult. The younger you are also can make it harder. More scar tissue and being more active. Recovery can take every bit of 6 months So don’t be in a rush. Good luck and yes other than my spinal fusion . The knee is next for pain. Ty for having this info. Except for the motorized grocery chair. Lol. I would be too embarrassed.
I was mortified the first time I had to use it…I got used to it and actually had fun with it!
Thank you for posting! I am 8 weeks post partial knee replacement and am still walking with a cane. I sometimes get discouraged but now realize how long of a recover this is. Doctors do downplay the pain, I cried everyday for the first 2 weeks and still have my moments. I have PT twice a week and exercise at home twice a day and also have started walking (with cane) for half an hour outside. Slow and steady I guess, but still….hard to sleep more than a few hours at night….Rant over, thanks for listening.
My TKR was 7/26/2019. Today I had my fifth PT session, but it was the first one without extreme pain. That gave me the encouragement I needed to keep pressing on. I was very tired afterward, but I’m able to look back and see progress. Recovery has been about as expected—lots of pain, sleeplessness, tears. The one surprise to me, tho, has been that nobody really wants to hear about what you’re going through. I think I assume that since this has taken over my life, it should take over everyone else’s, too. Anyway, that makes forums like this very helpful. We all have the same obsession right now lol.
Sue, 60-year-old female
I’m glad your PT session went well! It gets better. While I didn’t have a total knee replacement, I had something similar (recovery wise) so I can totally sympathize and say that it WILL get better!
Hi Sue, I have been in that position with TKR. Very few people understood the amount of pain I had but I had a great surgeon who was willing to try almost anything to get my pain down. I was 58 whenI had to get mine done I wasn’t sleeping due to the arthritis so the surgery was a none issue. However, the nerve block didn’t work, I had a huge amount of inflammation and the hospital physical therapist had no concept of pain. After I went home, things did improve but slowly. I had several days where all I seemed to do was cry. Buckets of tears. I finally deduced this was due to the strong anesthetic used in surgery. Another lady I met who had hers done the same day as me had the same issue with the tears! She told me, I’m not a cryer!” Now, 8 years later, I need the other knee done but can’t quite bring myself to see the surgeon. So much pain. I am grateful but extremely hesitant to do it again. Make sense?
My ACL reconstruction and meniscus surgery is coming up. I don’t have a recliner and wanted to know if the foam wedge was used in bed or other situations? I’m wondering if you can add some tips on showering. I have a tub shower. Also thinking about constipation if I’m on pain meds.
Hi there…I will write up another post with some of the tips you are asking about. The foam wedge was used everywhere! When I eventually started sleeping in bed, I took the foam wedge upstairs and used it in bed. I just made sure that the blanket was adjusted so it wasn’t over my toes. I didn’t like how that felt with my leg elevated. I also used the foam wedge on the couch!
Thank you for our honesty about TKN! I just had my TKR on August 16th. I knew to expect pain, but was not prepared for how painful the quad muscles would be! Wondering if you have any tips for getting on and off the bed/couch…that seems to be when it is at it’s worst. – Gwen -55 yr old femail
Just had TKR on 8.24. The way I get into bed and out is using the “good” leg to lift my other one. That has worked like a charm from day one.
Get well!
Best,
Sue – 65 yr old female
I pre-purchased Tumaz Yogo strap on Amazon dirt cheap (similar to what PT’s use) and it has been great to help me pull operated leg over and up (onto bed, during exercises, etc.). I have two. Doubled as a safety/ grab belt for daughter to monitor me as I am learning to go up and down steps. 59 yo LADY in Michigan
I literally scooted on my butt until I was comfortable going down the stairs. Going up was a bit easier.
That’s what I have been doing.
I just had my TKN done on mine 69 birthday, August 7, two weeks today! Yes the pain is uncomfortable but mine usually crops at at 2 a.m. Sometimes I never go back two sleep. Today was one of those days. My PT is well. My leg seems to ache more than anything, any suggestions. Also, I’m extremely emotional!!! Thank You
My doctor had me taking magnesium with my pain pills when I was taking them. When I stopped taking the pain pills, I also stopped the magnesium. A friend told me to take magnesium for the leg cramps I am getting and it seems to be helping! Maybe discuss with your doctor about adding a magnesium supplement!
Im into my 5th week after total knee replacement. I stopped the hard pain killer at 3 weeks as didnt like the side effects. I took the 500mg Tylenol (2) prescribed for pain instead. I now only take one Tylenol 500mg at night and get a good nights rest. Im a side sleeper but cant do that now so sleep on my back with a small pillow under the bend of my surgery knee and fall asleep pretty fast. Im doing home physical therapy and also finishing up on my last PT visits with a theapist. Will see my doctor in a week for 6 wk check up. The hardest part is not being able to drive and to depend on others to get me to my appointments. Some exercises are still painful but I have better movement after doing them. And always ice knee with a thin cloth between knee and ice bag aftr the exercises. I get more hopeful each day that I will be active again.
I’m in day 2 of my trkr. Had it on Fri 13th! Had the conformis implant. I can completely relate to your comment re heel slides on 2nd day. Could barely bend. Even straightening it out is uncomfortable. But walker use is going well. Sleeping at nite sucked. Lol
I really can’t stress enough how important the knee elevator (I linked to it in the post) was to making my sleeping better at night.
I’m having TKR on 9/25- it’s been years coming. Injured myself when I was 15 and have had three scopes since then- I’m 49. I’m happy to see all of the information from everyone on this and other blogs and websites. I’m doing my prep exercises and gathering all equipment and essentials needed for the surgery and after. I’m a bit terrified of the pain, but I know from both my mother and grandmother, it will be worth the agony. I hope everyone’s recovery is going well and remember, you can’t be replaced, but your knee sure can!!
Hi I’m into my 19 week l still do the exercises to get more bend in my knee and it’s still painful but not as much I’m driving with no pain the only thing l have now is a dull ache some days worse than others so I take a pain killer which helps but I can get out and about which I couldn’t do before it does get better but it takes time .l used to sleep with a pillow under my knee but I can sleep without it now and I sleep better than I have for a long time,best wishes to everyone who’s been there and it just takes time Carol
Glad you are feeling better! When I sleep on my side, I sleep with a pillow between my knees. It’s more comfortable that way.
Thank you all for your posts. I’ll be getting a total knee replacement in December. I’m 45 and I have a very high tolerance to pain. 10 years ago I had lower back fusion which it did not hurt me at all and the recovery was less than 2 weeks. I hope I have a speedy recovery as I did with my spine surgery. Hope you all continue to have a fast and successful recovery.
I kept a long cloth and made into a sling to place my foot from floor to bed.
I had TKR August 6, 2019 and second surgery to re-stitch it August 8. Recovery seemed slow at first but after the third week noticed huge improvements every week. Do all your exercises and definitely elevate/ice. Going in for other TKR November 12. Trying to stay positive and get through the first few weeks! I’m a 59 yr old-going into 2020, turning 60 with two new knees and a new, pain free life!!
Good luck to you! I had my 6 month checkup the other day and when the nurse asked my pain level, I was able to say “zero” for the first time ever!
I am in my 6th week since TKR. I can identify with all of the previous posts, esp. sleep. After a lot of reading, last night I tried a knee compression sleeve. In fact, it’s the same one I used prior to surgery. I slept in bed last night and got the first full night’s sleep that I have had since surgery. My knee felt secure and comfortable all night long. I’m hoping that tonight will be a repeat of last night. I don’t know why no one mentioned using a compression sleeve at night.
I wore the compression sleeves they sent me home with for about 2 months. I would just wash them when I needed to and rewear them. If they got too stretched or worn, they would just give me new ones at physical therapy. Good luck with the rest of your recovery.
My Knee surgery is in TWO Days 1/9/2020 and I am scared to death! I bombarded the Dr with so many questions, even the size of the cut, stitches/staples and asked to see the part he will be implanting (shiney Jewelry nobody will see). All this didn’t help my apprehension and fear. I have had a lot of surgeries in my life (64 now) and NOTHING is going to be compared to this “incredible pain” that I am told will happen. Haven’t slept in 4 days and now he gave me something to calm me down, relieve the nerve endings and get ready to go under the knife. This procedure has come so far they do it as outpatient now and send you home the same day w/o any complications. I wish they would some day figure out a way to do this with less pain and scaring of course.
Good luck with your surgery!! I’m not going to lie, the pain was a bit much for two days after surgery…but once I got past those two days, it was much more tolerable. Just stay ahead of the pain with your pain pills, do the exercises they have you do (like the heel slides, etc), and listen to PT.
I had Bi lateral TKR’s (both knee) done on June 10th 2019 about 7 month ago. I can tell you it is the best thing I ever did. I will have to say I had no knee pain after surgery my muscle in the top of my legs and the calves were what really hurt. I asked for muscle relaxers which helped greatly! Physical therapy was hard but if it hurt too much I told them and they had me relax a bit, but don’t quit! It is worth it.
Keep working it will take awhile as I still exercise and ride a stationary bike. They told me it would take at least a year for full recovery and everyday it is better! Good luck all of you ! Oh and I am 66 yrs old.
Muscle relaxers was a really good idea! I never thought about asking for those. That would have helped me a lot, I think. I’m glad you are doing well!
Thanks for the info…..I think😳 I’m going for a tkr on the 11/2/2020 it’s fair to say I’m a bit nervous, I’m having an epidural with sedation. What wories me a lot is my 8 month labradoodle jumping on me! Any suggestions? Thanks
Good luck with your surgery! As for suggestions with your dog, I have no idea. I have a cat!!
Hi! I’m 1 week post op and was wondering if the leg wedge pillow in your post will work with a leg brace? Doc told me it would be 6 weeks on crutches and no weight bearing on right knee. I was so sad because I had already been on crutches for 3 weeks before the surgery so it seems like forever. Thank you for stating these tips. They’ve been super helpful and the comments have helped too with changing my expectations about recovery.
Yes! I was in a full leg brace for over 120 days! It totally helps with the brace. Especially at night when I was trying to sleep. I also slept downstairs in my family room because stairs were too hard for me. It was a lifesaver for me. Once I didn’t need it any longer, I made sure to bag it up and put it at the top of my closet because I know I will be having surgery on my left leg one of these days!
Hi, I’m going to do a TKR in two weeks from now, I’m so scared, the worse part is that I’m a mother of 3 who cannot take care of themselves but my husband will b here to help, how long, if u can estimate does it take to recover fully? I don’t want to lie, it’s giving me hard time or is it because I’m stressing about the severe pains after 2 to 3 days. I read everything and was helpful, Moloi, Matsikeng
I didn’t have a TKR, but what I had was a much longer recovery. Had my insurance allowed for a TKR, my recovery would have been shorter. So I can’t really say how long. I hope all goes well. I am actually going in for another MRI on the other knee and probably looking at surgery again in the future. Take care!
I had TKR on May 18, 2020 and was surprised and pleased by the lack of pain afterwards!! I have only suffered from aches in the muscles, except during PT when he bends my knee. Then I have pain around the kneecap. With pain medication, rest, and icing I was able to control the pain in the first days after surgery. Now I just take Tylenol when needed. Thanks for sharing your experience!! For those thinking of or preparing for surgery-start exercising now and strengthening your quads, lose weight and eat healthy, and prepare your home and meals so you’ll have less to worry about during recovery. There are many good blogs online with lots of great suggestions. Read them!!
Yes! Read the blogs! Pick up things ahead of time that are recommended and just do what you need to do. Understand that while it may have taken one person only 3 days to be off pain killers, it could take you 14 days and that’s OK. It’s OK if one person can straighten their leg fully right after surgery while it takes someone else a week to do that. Just do what is best for you.
I’m 78 and in the queue for TKR. The info is helpful, but am still concerned about the pain. Part of knee is bone on bone, but I’m getting around pretty well, just limited in my activities and am careful about where I put my feet. I live alone in a two story house. Besides the pain, what really bothers me is the length of time for recovery. By the time both knees are done, I’m going to be incapacitated for such a long time, and I really want to do more traveling,(once covid is not such an issue). Sometimes I think maybe I can get along without TKR. Is this really going to progress to a point where I just won’t have any choice?
It’s hard to say. I am not a doctor, so I can only go by my own personal experience. While I couldn’t have a TKR because of my age (under 40 at the time), the procedure I had was necessary for me AND if insurance would have allowed it, a TKR is what I would have had done. For me, the amount of time for recovery (which, for the procedure I had, is longer than a TKR) was worth it. The pain and instability I had was terrible. While I still have pain occasionally…like once in a blue moon, it still, two years later, has been worth it. I hope that helps.
Hi! I’m very interested in your posts. I am also in the “too young for a TKR” category (I’m 28), so I’m a candidate for the MACI surgery. I’ve been doing a lot of reading about it and trying to be well informed before starting. Hearing your experience was helpful for me. I had the biopsy done three years ago, and I’m holding off as long as possible before the 2nd stage, per doctor suggestion. Like you said, the surgery seems really tough to recover from, and part of me is hoping that the longer I wait, maybe they’ll approve me for a TKR. But, it’s good to hear from someone who had and thinks it is worth it. Thanks for sharing your experiences!
I am so glad I did it. It was a rough recovery, but once you’re in the middle of it, you just do it because you know the outcome is going to be great. That’s what kept me going with it. I now have to see what to do with my left knee. I am holding off on that for a bit. I don’t believe I need the MACI with that one, but if I end up needing it, I would do it again.
I’m in my 5th week after MAKO TKR on my left knee and going in for my right on 12/20. It was a day procedure so no hospital stay. It has not been easy but the icing machine was a game changer for me,. I asked why they don’t send you home and they said insurance doesn’t cover but still I wish had known earlier, you can get one from Amazon for $250 or so. I’ve done PT on my own via UTube and was able to give up the walker after a couple of weeks as my home has furniture, counters, and walls that gave me stability. Crutches hurt so I”ve been going it alone but staying close and being careful. I had a setback last week crawling into my bed without thinking and have had to go back to 2x/day pain killers to try to get back where I was before but am still hurting. I’m very nervous about #2 but I know it is for the best as both knees were bone on bone and walking was getting unbearable. I will be 62 at end of January and retire 3/31. I”m hoping by the summer I will be getting back to normal.and by year end able to go and do things I’ve not been able to do for the last 5 years or so due to the pain. I’ve learned so much since the first one I hope all the tips and new found knowledge will help diminish pain.
Good luck with surgery 2. And you are right, the ice machine is a game changer. My hospital sends you home with one and insurance for me does cover it.