Once you have recovered and can bend your knee enough to go home, your surgeon at Ackland Sports Medicine will discharge you. This will give you more time to work on physical therapy to increase strength and range of motion in your knee. Feel free to ask any questions you may have. At home, your new goal is to return safely and comfortably to your activities of daily living. Your follow-up physiotherapy relieves any stiffness and awkwardness you may feel, and helps you regain independence as you learn to care for your new knee.
Most patients return to normal activities three to six weeks following surgery.
Night pain is common for several weeks after surgery. Driving can begin when your knee bends sufficiently to enter and sit comfortably in a car seat, and when your muscle control provides adequate reaction time from accelerator to brake, typically 4-6 weeks. Your physical therapist will instruct you to continue with the exercises you learned in the hospital, and may teach you others as well. Strength exercises tone your thigh muscles, which have the greatest control over your new knee. Range of motion exercises help you bend and straighten your knee more fully.