Knee Replacement Recovery: What to Expect Week by Week

Millions of people complain about knee pain, whether it’s an acute discomfort that comes and goes or a chronic problem that constantly nags at them. We work on these joints all the time, and globally, the prevalence of this problem ranges from 10 to 60% across age groups. Older adults and people with knee injuries complain more, but anyone can be affected.

Our knees can be injured for several reasons, and if the joint damage is severe enough, knee replacement surgery can relieve pain and restore mobility and function. If you’re about to undergo surgery or have just finished this procedure, recovery depends on the type of replacement performed, the severity of the injury, and your overall health.

Residents of Fort Worth, Texas, in need of knee or other joint replacement can find help with Dr. Joseph Daniels and the Southwest Orthopedic Associates team.

Reasons for knee replacement

Not all knee pain needs surgical treatment, but if the stiffness, joint pain, swelling, and mobility issues that often come with these problems are severe enough that conservative options aren’t adequate, it becomes necessary. Several issues can lead to this, including:

• Arthritis: different types of arthritis can lead to this treatment, like osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis

• Falls: the impact from a fall on your knees can be bad enough to fracture the bones

• Sports injury: collisions, falls, and other issues with intense physical activity can damage the knees

• Accidents: auto collisions, falls at work, or other accidental injuries may need this treatment

Over 800,000 knee replacements are done annually in the U.S. alone, making it the most common joint to be replaced.

Options for replacement

The extent of the damage to one or both knees determines which type of replacement is done, which is either a partial, when only part of the knee needs it, and to preserve as much natural bone as possible, or a total procedure when there’s too much damage in the joints. 

The surgery is done either as a minimally invasive process with a smaller incision that moves the kneecap to do the work, or it’s done traditionally with a larger incision and more work on the connected tissue and bones as necessary. 

Recovery timeline

Once your knees are repaired, how long it takes to heal depends on the extent of the work, your overall health, and many other factors. But each case has the same basic process of healing:

Immediately after surgery

You’ll likely be surprised to know that physical therapy is one of the first things you go through after surgery. Keeping your knees moving is critical throughout the process, and within four hours, we’ll start working on it.

The first two weeks

At this point, stiffness often happens, and you may not want to bend the knee, but this is when it’s most important to do so soon after surgery. Attending your therapy sessions and keeping the joint in motion is vital, and elevating and icing your leg will help ease discomfort.

Pain medications and the use of a cane are also common at this point.

Three to six weeks

As you close in on nearly a month after surgery, you should feel less pain and stiffness, even if pain meds and icing the joint may still be necessary. By week six, the combination of physical therapy and healing means you should be able to stand on your own for several minutes at a time. 

The incision should be healed enough to shower, but you shouldn’t submerge the knee until after six weeks.

After six weeks

Between four and six weeks, you should be able to resume driving. By this point, you should start resuming many everyday activities, being careful to stick to your therapy and exercise regimen.

Everyone heals at their own pace, but your journey progresses similarly, barring any complications. If you’re just about to undergo knee replacement or need help managing right after, schedule an appointment with Dr. Daniels and Southwest Orthopedic Associates today.