Knee surgery recovery time

KneeSurgery Recovery Time

Kneesurgery is a relatively major operation involving a very importantjoint in the human body. Before even undergoing the operation, adoctor or surgeon will consult with the patient to discuss therecovery schedule and give advice on activities that should or shouldnot be performed after the surgery. Most patients will fully recoverin 6 to 8 weeks, after which a period of rehabilitation will follow.

A fewdays after the surgery, the patient will be transferred to arehabilitation ward to begin their recovery. The affected leg is keptraised to allow the knee to heal quickly without any undue pressure.The joint is also kept cold to relieve swelling. During this time,the patient must undertake a physical therapy and must do certainexercises as recommended by their physician.

Thepatient will be required to exercise their knee by taking a gentlewalk, assisted by a walker. The patient should put as much weight onthe leg as is comfortable. This is the beginning of the physicaltherapy regime for the patient, led by the therapist. This is anessential part of the recovery process and must be undertakenseriously. Although most of the recovery process is simply restingthe knee, the physical therapy is very important, and doctor's ordersshould be followed very closely. Any ill feeling of the knee,especially any undue pain or restriction of motion should be reportedto the physician.

Painrelief medication will be administered by the doctor, who will adviseceasing the medication when there is no more pain. Drivers shouldbear in mind that they should not drive until more than 2 weeks afterthe surgery.

Theknee is one of the most heavily used joints in the human body, so itis naturally subject to degradation over time. In the oldergenerations, knee arthritis is a common problem. Surgery is onlyreally necessary when knee injuries or problems cannot be healedthrough the use of simple medication. Sports professionals willundergo knee operations if their knee problems interfere with theirperformance.

DifferentTypes of Knee Operations

Arthroscopyis performed on an outpatient basis and is usually carried out to diagnosepotential knee injuries or to treat tears in cartilage around thejoint or to extract broken bone pieces. This operation involves a cutbeing made in the knee that the surgery is performed through. Atypical patient will recover from this type of surgery in six toeight weeks, taking the precautions listed above.

Arthroplastyis performed to reconstruct the knee joint and is a difficultprocedure to carry out. The poor cartilage in the knee joint isreplaced with an artificial plastic or metal construction.Hospitalisation is usually required for a week or more after surgery,while full function will only return after three weeks or so. Untilthat time, the patient can use a crutch to move about. Post-operativecare is essential after this type of surgery, as it is more extensivethan arthroscopy. Physical therapy is usually required.

Kneereplacement is the most major operation to fix knee problems, andusually precedes arthroplasty. Recovery takes an exceptionally longtime, often involving a year's worth of physiotherapy and surgicalconsultations to assess the progress of recovery. Doctor's advice ismandatory here to prevent prolonging the recovery time or injuringthe knee joint again. Recovery time after this type of surgery willdepend on the patient's overall health too.