You may notice numbness around the incision of your knee replacement surgery. You may also notice some stiffness. This may be more pronounced after a great deal of bending. Naturally, your knee should be improved after you have had it replaced; however, it is important to remember that an artificial knee may never have the complete ROM (range of motion) of a natural knee.
Another difference is that you may find it a little difficult to kneel. However, you should not worry about kneeling. It will not hurt your new knee. Sometimes you will hear a little clicking from your new knee. This is the metal moving against the plastic as you move. This should diminish after a while. Most patients have no trouble getting used to it. It is surely much less troublesome than the painful knee they had before.
After your surgery, your activity level will be determined by your ideal pre-surgery activity level. If you were active when your natural knee was well, you can be active again. Your new knee will bend and straighten to allow you to get in and out of cars, to climb stairs, and perform other activities of daily living.
Click here for more on knee replacement recovery .
Be careful about entering buildings with metal detectors as your new knee may set them off. Be ready to inform the security personnel about your new knee so that you wont run into any trouble.
After surgery, there are a few things you will want to do:
Take great care not to fall or become injured. If you hurt yourself after your knee surgery, you will probably need more surgery.
Trust your orthopedist. He or she is also a medical doctor. Therefore, a lot of training backs up his or her diagnosis and treatment plan. Your orthopedist is familiar with the musculoskeletal system (bones, nerves, joints, muscles, ligaments, and tendons) and fully capable of determining both surgical and non-surgical treatments.
If you are having dental work done, always tell your dentist about your artificial knee. You will need to take antibiotics prior to your dental work to avoid infection. This is something you must always remember from now on.
Take regular exercise to keep your new knee strong and mobile.
Visit your orthopedic surgeon every year. He or she will want to follow up with x-rays and an annual examination.
Dr. Tarlow is a Board Certified Orthopaedic Surgeon with over 20 years specializing in knee surgery. He opened his own clinic, Advanced Knee Care, with a focus on specialty patient care. Click here to learn more about Dr. Tarlow, knees and partial and total knee.
