Bethesda MD Knee Doctor

What to Do After a Knee Replacement

If you’ve had a knee replacement performed by a Bethesda MD knee doctor, you may be curious about the things you should and shouldn’t do after the surgery is over. Topics such as how to care for your knee, warning signs to look for, and activities you should avoid may all be included in your discharge papers from your knee doctor in Bethesda MD, but you may find the following information helpful as well.

Being a bit more careful will save you from further injury and thus experiencing tremendous suffering and expenses, whereas a little recklessness could cause you to get into trouble again. This is often dangerous as your knee is already injured and thus vulnerable. Therefore, when you get hurt in this vulnerable area, the next injury is usually far more dangerous and can cause a lot more harm.

This could greatly increase your pain, suffering, and recovery time, and can provide additional expenses for the medicine used to treat, and the surrounding costs. So, whenever you consult with a knee doctor Bethesda MD citizens are proud to have, make sure you have questions and stay informed both before and after the treatment.

When Will You Be Discharged from the Hospital?

Your Bethesda MD knee doctor may be able to tell you a certain date, but in many cases, your discharge depends on a variety of factors. Your doctor likely won’t discharge you until you accomplish the following goals:

• Getting in and out of bed alone: This means your knee has recovered enough to carry your own weight and you have no possible risk of injuring yourself from walking again;
• Experiencing acceptable relief from your pain: This is mostly up to you; you have to be confident that you do not feel any pain when you move, walk, or do any other light activities;
• Eating, drinking, and using the bathroom: When you are able to do this normally without any pain or support from anyone else, this mean you have recovered enough to be discharged from the hospital;
• Walking with an assistive device on a flat floor and climbing up and down a couple of stairs: Your knee doctor in Bethesda MD will mostly discharge you under this circumstance when you need to go through some kind of physical rehabilitation for your knees; and
• Understanding how to prevent further injury and help your knee heal properly: This means you already have recovered enough to move around and also know enough to take care of your knees, as well as know how to avoid any injuries.

If you aren’t able to accomplish all of the things on the above list, you may not be sent home after you’re discharged. Depending on how you’re doing, your Bethesda knee doctor may send you to a rehabilitation center until you are able to meet all of the goals above. A Bethesda MD knee doctor and supporting nurses are usually very careful, because they know that if you do not recover properly from the injury and get injured again, this damage could be more severe which may turn to permanent disability.

What Are the Signs of Infection?

Infection is something you want to avoid, which is why you should follow the doctor’s orders for wound care. If you should experience any of the following signs of infection, you may want to contact your Bethesda MD knee doctor immediately:

• Persistent fever over 100 degrees.
• Shaking chills.
• Redness, swelling, or tenderness of your wound.
• Discharge from your wound.
• Pain that doesn’t improve with rest.

These all can be serious and if you experience any of these symptoms, you should see your Bethesda MD knee doctor immediately.

To prevent infection, you should keep the wound clean and the bandages changed as needed. You may be told of when you can bathe or shower after your surgery, so be sure to follow these orders or you may increase your risk of infection. Many patients do not pay enough attention to doctors’ instruction or do not understand them properly. This may lead to not completing the post-surgical procedures correctly, and when the things such as infection or the pain get worse, they do not understand why this is happening. This is why it is so crucial to understand the instructions given to you by your Bethesda MD knee doctor.

What Activities Should You Avoid?

Until your Bethesda MD knee doctor clears you for all activities, there are certain activities you will need to modify or stop doing until you have recovered. These include, but aren’t limited to:

• Driving
• Sexual Activity
• Returning to Work
• High-impact sports and exercise
• Traveling on an Airplane
• Walking on a sloped road as it puts pressure on your knees; and
• Walking on rugged roads or mountainous areas as they put asymmetric pressure on your knees.

Your doctor may be able to tell you which activities you should avoid based on your specific circumstances and healing, but the above is a general list for the first couple of weeks following surgery. These limitations are put in place to help you heal and recover from surgery and to keep you from injuring yourself further. Patience is key here. Many patients lose the patience to recover fully, which can be more of a psychological issue, since they are not allowed to do the physical activities they once did and they become more interested in dwelling on the hardship. In fact, such cases mostly happen with athletes, although not rare in other people too. The danger of such impatience can be high and the penalty can be so expensive that patients often create more serious and long-term injuries which can turn into very serious ailments, such as paralysis.

Now that you know more about what to expect after knee surgery, you can take some time and write down any questions you may have for your doctor. Take these questions with you at your next appointment so you can be sure to ask them and gain a better understanding of the procedure and the recovery. Make an appointment with a Bethesda knee doctor at Pain Arthritis Relief Center today by calling 301-710-9777 now and get the personalized treatment for your knee injuries by a great Bethesda MD knee doctor trusted and respected by hundreds of patients.