Pain and swelling after surgery
It is normal for your knee to be tender and swollen after surgery, especially when you move. You will receive instructions on pain management before you are discharged.
The swelling can be relieved, among other things, by:
- Cool the knee with an ice pack for about 20 minutes at a time, especially during the first few days
- to have a cloth between your skin and the ice
- Elevate your leg when you're resting
- Do vein-pumping exercises by moving your foot and toes
- Start moving according to the instructions you've been given
You may generally put your full weight on the operated leg, but you should adjust the amount of weight you put on it so that your knee does not hurt unnecessarily. If your surgery requires other restrictions, you will be notified separately. Some people need crutches for a while.
Wounds and Bandages
After the surgery, you will have a bandage over the small surgical incisions. The outer bandage can usually be removed the next day and replaced with waterproof band-aids. The band-aids should be changed if they come loose or become saturated.
The incisions may be closed with sutures or small butterfly bandages. If anything needs to be removed, you will be told how and when. This typically happens about 8–10 days after the surgery.
Rehabilitation and Physical Activity
It is important to start moving and doing exercises shortly after surgery. The exercises are designed to help you regain mobility in your knee and strength in the muscles around it.
At first, swelling may make it harder to bend your knee. As the swelling subsides, your range of motion will typically improve. It is especially important to work on being able to fully straighten your knee.
You’ll be given specific exercises and instructions to do at home. The need for further physical therapy is assessed on an individual basis.
Light daily activities and walks can be gradually resumed once you can move your knee without significant discomfort. For many people, this happens within the first few weeks, but the timeline depends on what was treated during the surgery.
When you can resume sports, work, and more strenuous activities also depends on the extent of the surgery, your symptoms, and the level of physical exertion involved. Your surgeon will provide you with personalized recommendations.
What can you expect?
The outcome depends on the cause of your symptoms and what the surgeon finds and treats in the knee. For example, in the case of a mechanically problematic meniscus fragment or a loose body, the goal is to remove the structure that is getting pinched and causing symptoms.
Healing and rehabilitation vary from person to person. If there are also signs of wear and tear or more extensive cartilage damage in the knee, pain may persist after surgery, and the recovery process may take longer.
Possible complications
The risk of complications following arthroscopic knee surgery is generally low, but as with any surgery, complications can occur.
These may include, among other things, an infection, a blood clot in the leg, bleeding in the knee, or a small area with altered sensation around the surgical incisions.
Contact Capio if, after surgery, you experience increasing pain, fever, noticeable redness, warmth, or swelling around the incisions, or if fluid is leaking from the incision. You should also contact us if you experience unusually severe swelling, redness, or warmth in your leg. In the event of severe or sudden symptoms that require immediate treatment, call 112.
