The following guidelines will help you recover quickly and safely during the postoperative period. Please do not hesitate to contact our office if you have further questions or need clarification of this information.
Activity
- Minimize activity for the first 24-72 hours
- Keep extremity elevated when sitting or lying down, but keep knee straight
- You may return to normal activities of daily living as tolerated
Crutches
- You may put as much weight on your let as pain allows
- You may discontinue the use of crutches when you can walk comfortably and without much of a limp
- Do not do any running or athletics until you are cleared to do so
Wound Care
- You may remove the dressing 48-72 hours after surgery and shower. Use warm soapy water over the incisions
- Pat the wound dry and reapply a dry dressing or ace wrap or place bandaids over the nylon sutures to prevent skin irritation
- No baths or whirlpools until 21 days after the surgery
- Ice your knee 4-5 times a day for 20 minutes at a time
Home Exercises
- Work on straightening your knee. Never put anything under the knee to keep it bent.
- Place a pillow under the heel for 10-15 minutes each waking hour
- Straight leg raises (3 sets of 10) 8-10 times per day.
Prescriptions
- You will be given a prescription for a narcotic (Percocet, Vicodin etc.)
- You may be given a prescription for an anti-inflammatory (Naprosyn or Motrin).
- It is OK to take an anti-inflammatory in addition to the narcotic to assist with pain control
- Do not take additional Tylenol with your prescription pain medicine as it already has Tylenol in it
- Narcotics cause constipation. Stay well hydrated and use a stool softener twice daily when taking narcotics.
Follow-Up
- Your postoperative visit 10-14 days following your surgery will have been scheduled prior to your surgery
- If you do not have this appointment, call the office
Warning Signs
- Pain unrelieved by medication or worsening pain
- Nausea and vomiting you cannot control
- Fever over 100.0 after the first 48 hours
- Persistent drainage from the incisions (some spotting is normal on the bandage for the first 5 days)
- Increasing redness around incisions
- Calf pain or tenderness
Call the Orthopedics office at 541-754-1276 with questions
After hours call Orthopedics at 541-754-1150
