What can be expected after a total knee replacement?

My 27-year-old son is having a total knee replacement tomorrow due to bone cancer. I've heard it's extremely painful afterwards. What can we expect?

I had one knee replaced at age 59 and the other at 60...but I believe the surgical experience will be similar. I know many others who have had the surgery too. His age is on his side. The first 3 days were very painful. He will most likely have a self-controlled pain medicine pump for the first 24 hrs. Then for the next 2 days he can receive I.V. or I. M.pain shots. Then they will start giving pain pills on a regular 4 hr. schedule for a few days. Then he will take pain pills as needed over the next 2 to 3 weeks. After the third day, the pain was much less. The 8th day was also a big step forward. Then after 2 weeks things were really looking up. He will be on his feet in 24 hrs.He will handle going to the bathroom with a walker well by the 3rd day. He needs to use his pain pills when he goes home so he can do all the recommended exercises. He should have a therapist at home or a week or two, then go to the hospital for outpatient physical therapy for 6 to 8 weeks. Encourage him to be faithful with his physical therapy...it makes a great deal of difference. I am sure he will do very well. Encourage independence as soon as possible. Resist babying him. Remember. after 3 days, it will be better. I hope he does very well .

I have heard it is the worst pain- my step mom had it done- and she still hurts- just follow the md instruction to the tee- to avoid complications or causing damage during the healing process- strong pain relievers may be recommended- take care-D

A LOT OF PAIN!!!!!!! Just hang in there. It will be there your whole life but you can try to live wit it

Medication management post surgery is crucial as is management of swelling. Hopefully, your son will begin physical therapy the day after surgery.
ankle pumps and quad sets are the best first thing your son can do when he wakes from surgery. a quad set is simply contracting the upper front thight muscles over the knee as if you were trying to show the leg muscles. some folks descibe it as pushing your knee back into the bed so that the foot elevates slightly. your son will most likely already know this exercise. at home, a few days of elevation (not propping) will help with swelling. swelling acts to increase pressure which will increase pain. I usually place 2 pillows between the matress and boxsprings so that the leg cannot roll off.
another trick i use with TKA post surgery is to not deeply massage but prehaps gently massage the upper leg, then knee, then lower leg--staying away from the incision site. this sort of distracts a person from pain by introducing another sensation.

Lots of pain that should get better with time and therapy. There could be a moderate ammount of bruising and swelling or edema that should resolve in time. Be sure to take pain meds before therapy to have less pain with therapy and thus be more productive. Alot of people find that using the CPM machine at night when in the bed reduces significantly the ammount of morning pain and stiffness, but as with anything follow doctors orders. Also you can expect to be on blood thinners for a couple of weeks to prevent blood clots until you get back on your feet.
Good luck with your surgery. I hope you have speedy recovery.

Knee joint replacement surgery has become very common nowadays. My cousin also got her hip replacement surgery in India through the forerunners healthcare .She is more than very happy with the results. She is totally pain free now. She just paid 25% of the amount she was quoted in USA and is all praise for this forerunners healthcare company.


Forerunners Healthcare is very famous in India. I read a lot about them in the Newspapers and magazines. I have read a lot of their patient stories also. They arrange financing for USA, Canadian, UK and other international patients who plan to have surgery abroad for low price, as all joint surgery is not covered by insurance in USA or by NHS in the UK. They also have photos pasted of their International patients. You can checkout their website. There are huge cost savings. As a doctor I personally believe that your surgery can be easily handled in India, as the quality of healthcare available In India is simply best in the world. The surgeons are USA/UK trained and facilities are 5 star.

Many patients travel from United States of America and UK to get low cost surgery in India. Indian corporate hospitals are comparable to hospitals anywhere in the world. In fact, India has medical facilities that are comparable with the USA, UK and Canada. India offers World Class Medical Facilities, comparable with any of the western countries. India has state of the art Hospitals and the best medical experts. With the best infrastructure, the best possible Medical facilities, accompanied with the most competitive prices, you can get the treatment done in India at the lowest prices.


http://www.forerunnershealthcare.com
Hope this helps.

It is a lot of money to have to pay the docters fee because I would no because my cousin had cancer and died at the age of 4 and. That is why I no it costs a lot of money my cousin is 8 truning 9 in Octber of next year

Love Dakota Fanning