Knee Pain SmartSite^TM

Questions to ask your doctor after knee replacement

Definition

You had surgery to get a new knee joint while you were in the hospital.

Below are some questions you may want to ask your health care provider to help you take care of your new joint.

Questions

How long will I need to use crutches or a walker after I go home?

How much walking can I do?
When can I begin to place weight on my new joint?
How much weight can I put on my new joint?
Do I need to be careful about how I sit or move around?
Will I be able to walk without pain? How far?
How much should I bend my knees? What should be my expectation and progress?
When will I be able to do other activities, such as golf, swimming, tennis, or hiking?

Will I have pain medicines when I go home? How should I take them?

Will I need to take blood thinners when I go home? How often? How long? Do I need to have my blood drawn to monitor how the medicines affect me?

How can I get my home ready before I go to the hospital?

How much help will I need when I come home? Will I be able to get out of bed?
How can I make my home safer for me?
How can I make my home easier to get around?
How can I make it easier for myself in the bathroom and shower?
What type of supplies will I need when I get home?
Do I need to rearrange my home?
What should I do if there are steps that go to my bedroom or bathroom?
When do I go back home?
Will I need to go to a rehabilitation facility to recover more?

What are the signs that something is wrong with my new knee? How can I prevent problems with my new knee?

How do I take care of my surgical wound?

How often should I change the dressing? How do I wash the wound?
What should my wound look like? What wound problems do I need to watch out for?
When do sutures and staples come out?
Can I take a shower? Can I take a bath or soak in the hot tub?

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Review Date: 8/9/2018

Reviewed By: C. Benjamin Ma, MD, Professor, Chief, Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service, UCSF Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, San Francisco, CA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

View References:

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons clinical practice guideline on treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee. 2nd ed. Rosemont (IL): American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS); 2013 May 18.

Bannuru RR, Schmid CH, Kent DM, Vaysbrot EE, Wong JB, McAlindon TE. Comparative effectiveness of pharmacologic interventions for knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Ann Intern Med. 2015;162(1):46-54. PMID: 25560713 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25560713.

Bennell KL, Buchbinder R, Hinman RS. Physical therapies in the management of osteoarthritis: current state of the evidence. Curr Opin Rheumatol. 2015;27(3):304-311. PMID: 25775185 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25775185.

Crenshaw AH. Soft tissue procedures and corrective osteotomies about the knee. In: Azar FM, Beatty JH, Canale ST, eds. Campbell's Operative Orthopaedics. 13th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2017:chap 9.

Duivenvoorden T, Brouwer RW, van Raaij TM, Verhagen AP, Verhaar JA, Bierma-Zeinstra SM. Braces and orthoses for treating osteoarthritis of the knee. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015;3:CD004020. PMID: 25773267 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25773267.

Fransen M, Agaliotis M, Nairn L, et al; LEGS study collaborative group. Glucosamine and chondroitin for knee osteoarthritis: a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial evaluating single and combination regimens. AnnRheum Dis. 2015;74(5):851-8. PMID: 24395557 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24395557.

Groen VA, van de Graaf VA, Scholtes VA, Sprague S, van Wagensveld BA, Poolman RW. Effects of bariatric surgery for knee complaints in (morbidly) obese adult patients: a systematic review. Obes Rev. 2015;16(2):161-170. PMID: 25487972 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25487972.

Hochberg MC, Altman RD, April KT, et al. American College of Rheumatology 2012 recommendations for the use of nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic therapies in osteoarthritis of the hand, hip, and knee. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2012;64(4):465-474. PMID: 22563589 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22563589.

Lieberman JR, Engstrom SM, Solovyova O, Au C, Grady JJ. Is intra-articular hyaluronic acid effective in treating osteoarthritis of the hip joint? J Arthroplasty. 2015;30(3):507-511. PMID: 25542833 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25542833.

Malagelada F, Vega J, Golano P, Beynnon B, Ertem F. Knee anatomy and biomechanics of the knee. In: Miller MD, Thompson SR, eds. DeLee and Drez’s Orthopaedic Sports Medicine. 4th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2015:chap 91.

Mascioli AA. Arthrodesis the knee. In: Azar FM, Beatty JH, Canale ST, eds. Campbell's Operative Orthopaedics. 13th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2017:chap 8.

Mihalko WM. Arthroplasty of the knee. In: Azar FM, Beatty JH, Canale ST, eds. Campbell's Operative Orthopaedics. 13th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2017:chap 7.

Moyer RF, Birmingham TB, Bryant DM, Giffin JR, Marriott KA, Leitch KM. Valgus bracing for knee osteoarthritis: a meta-analysis of randomized trials. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2015;67(4):493-501. PMID: 25201520 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25201520.

Paluska SA. Knee braces. In: Pfenninger JL, Fowler GC, eds. Pfenninger and Fowler's Procedures for Primary Care. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Mosby; 2011:chap 193.

Percope de Andrade MA, Campos TV, Abreu-E-Silva GM. Supplementary methods in the nonsurgical treatment of osteoarthritis. Arthroscopy. 2015;31(4):785-792. PMID: 25633815 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25633815.

Silverwood V, Blagojevic-Bucknall M, Jinks C, Jordan JL, Protheroe J, Jordan KP. Current evidence on risk factors for knee osteoarthritis in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2015;23(4):507-515. PMID: 25447976 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25447976.

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Knee Pain SmartSiteTM

Questions to ask your doctor after knee replacement

Definition

Questions

Knee Pain SmartSite^TM