To access the knee joint during traditional knee replacement surgery, the surgeon cuts through quadriceps muscles at the front of the thigh, the quad tendon that attaches the four quadriceps muscles to the kneecap, and other soft tissue.
The average recovery time from knee replacement surgery is approximately six months, but it can take roughly 12 months to fully return to physically demanding activities.
The minimally invasive total knee replacement procedure (sometimes referred to as total knee arthroplasty or TKA) involves the use of modified techniques and instruments to place the same, clinically proven implants used in standard surgery, but through a much smaller incision and without cutting through the quadricep ...
Your muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bone are often preserved. Routinely, however, the anterior cruciate ligament is removed. The shape of the implant makes up for the stability of the ACL. In most of my patients, the posterior cruciate ligament, or PCL, is also kept.
The biggest challenge in the early recovery of a TKR (up to 3 months postoperative) is the regaining of knee motion.
Knee replacement pain: The week following surgery
You should expect to stay in the hospital for several days following knee replacement surgery. This is often considered the most painful stage of the recovery process. Your doctor will prescribe medications to help you manage your pain level.
You're not alone. Having an orthopedic surgery can leave you feeling tired for weeks or months after the procedure. Here's a list of 7 main causes of fatigue after surgery: surgical stress, blood loss, medications, pain after surgery, energy of healing, dietary changes, and sleep disturbance.
Causes of Joint Stiffness from Knee Replacement Surgery
Knee stiffness and pain that can occur after a knee replacement may be because of scar tissue and collagen attaching to the knee implant.
Knee replacement surgical techniques and materials continue to advance, reducing the chances of alignment problems when fitting the implant. However, scar tissue formation during the healing process, or a misaligned implant can lead to problems such as pain or reduced function.
Healing and recovering from knee replacement surgery is a gradual process. During the first 6 weeks, rapid healing takes place. A full recovery can take 6 months to 1 year or longer. After surgery, efforts are devoted to controlling post-surgical pain, establishing good range of motion, and increasing muscle strength.
Recovery is slow
While it's different for everyone and depends on the type of knee surgery you've had, many people are surprised by how long it takes to recover. The time it takes to start doing simple tasks around the home, get back to work and importantly bending your new and improved knee may catch you by surprise.
You shouldn't downhill ski or play contact sports such as football and soccer. In general, avoid sports that require jerking, twisting, pulling, or running. You should be able to do lower-impact activities, such as hiking, gardening, swimming, playing tennis, and golfing.
The majority of patients expect to be able to kneel after TKR,2,4,5 however, these expectations are frequently not met,1,6 with between 50% and 80% of patients reporting that they have difficulty kneeling or do not kneel in the months and years after TKR.
Don't Overdo It
Signs of over-exercising include swelling of the entire leg and lingering pain that stretches into the evening or into the next day.
Can you sleep on your side after knee replacement surgery? You can, but it's wise not to do so until at least a few weeks after surgery, when you can start bending your knee. Make sure you lay on your non-operative side. Sleeping this way makes sure no pressure falls on the knee you had surgery on.
Furthermore, with the advent of joint prostheses coated with hydroxyapatite, which work by promoting primary bone formation to fill the gap between the prosthesis and the host bone, the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may be counterproductive.
Post-surgery, massage therapists should defer to guidance from the orthopedic or physical therapy teams regarding when to begin massage near the affected joint—often about six weeks after surgery. Until that time arrives, it's best to focus massage efforts away from the site.
Therefore, naps during the day are part of what to expect after knee replacement surgery. “It's okay to feel wiped out and tired as well as pushing yourself into pain to do your exercises,” Dr. Lyon says. “It will resolve with the healing of the knee.”
Pain and Discomfort: First and foremost, whether you've had a hip or knee replacement, you're going to be in pain. This pain will last for several weeks (even months) until it's well under control again. In the meantime, it's undoubtedly affecting how well you're sleeping at night.
Keep your knee straight
It's tempting to sit back and prop your leg on a pillow after knee surgery, but you should keep the joint completely straight after your procedure. To support the healing process, keep your leg and foot pointing straight ahead whenever you lie down or sit.
Over-the-counter medications — such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) and naproxen sodium (Aleve) — may help ease knee pain. Some people find relief by rubbing the affected knee with creams containing a numbing agent, such as lidocaine, or capsaicin, the substance that makes chili peppers hot.