When you experience a lot of pain in your knee, and it fails to dissipate no matter how much effort you put into this exercise, it is time to go to your knee surgeon for surgery. However, once the surgery is successfully performed, you need to do a few things to hasten the recovery period. Your surgeon would advise you on the kind of activities you need to embark on to give your knee the best chance of recovery within the shortest time possible. However, successful recovery does not depend only on the doctor's advice, but on what you also do as a recovering patient.
Take Good Care of your Knee during Post-Surgery Period
Your knee needs a lot of care during the post-surgery period. This care is important whether you went through arthroscopic or knee replacement surgery. The former is short-term and only requires a few days for you to get back to your normal activities, while the latter effects lasts a long time, and may take several months to recover fully. Rest is important and you need to engage in this fully to give your knee the best chance of recovering within a short time. Avoid any activity that causes you a lot of pain in your knee.
Use a lot of ice to protect your knee after surgery. This will help to reduce any lingering pain and give your knee the relief it needs. If your knee surgeon tells you that it is okay to use ice, you should not apply it on your knee for longer than 20 minutes at a time. You can apply the ice pack thrice or more times in a day. However, stay away from anything that causes you to experience a lot of pain in the knee. Avoid strenuous activities until your knee has recovered and can carry your weight around with little or no discomfort or pain at all.
Avoid Activities That Strain Your Knee
Certain activities that may aggravate the pain and make it harder for your knee to recover fast and properly include the following:
- Hot showers
- Hot tubs
- Hot packs
- Alcoholic beverages
- Sports or aggressive exercise
What to Do When Your Knee is Swollen
The post-surgery time is often devoid of any swelling on your knee. However, there are times when it might occur even if you went through surgery under the hands of a qualified knee surgeon with years of experience in these procedures. If it happens that your knee swells after surgery, you will still need to wrap it with a compression bandage to decrease the swelling. The compression needs to be light and not tightened. Elevating the injured or recovering knee post-surgery is important so as not to strain it too much.
In summary, avoid anything that threatens your knee and causes a lot of pain. Try to avoid making sudden movements, and only engage in light exercises. You can go back to your knee surgeon for a check-up so that the extent of recovery is monitored. There is nothing wrong with taking certain types of medication during recovery, but you should only do this after asking your surgeon if this is right or not. Keep off any medication that causes allergic reactions, or one that your doctor advised you not to take.