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Listen to your surgeon's instructions. Take medications as directed. Elevate your leg while resting. Apply ice around your knee. Maintain proper dressage care. Beware of signs of infection.
Following your arthroscopic knee surgery, it's important to do what your doctor thinks is most appropriate for the best possible recovery. Your knee may not end up being perfect, but following specific advice about controlling inflammation and pain, as well as stimulating healing, will lead to the best outcome for your particular injury. Almost all arthroscopic knee surgery is done on an outpatient basis and lasts only a few hours at most. Arthroscopy can be performed under local, regional, or general anesthesia, which prevents you from feeling pain during the surgery. The most common conditions that warrant arthroscopy of the knee are: torn meniscus cartilage, pieces of cartilage within the joint space (known as "joint mice"), torn or damaged ligaments, chronically inflamed joint lining (called synovium), misaligned kneecap (patella) or removal of cysts behind the knee. Your doctor will recommend medications mainly to control pain and inflammation, but possibly also to deter infections and/or blood clots depending on your diagnosis, age, and overall health condition. Be careful not to take any medications on an empty stomach, as they can irritate the lining of your stomach and increase the risk of stomach ulcers. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen, naproxen or aspirin help you deal with inflammation and pain. Analgesics such as opioids, diclofenac and acetaminophen help you to get relief from pain, but not inflammation. Antibiotics are prescribed to prevent infections, whereas anticoagulants prevent blood clots. To help prevent inflammation in your knee naturally, elevate your leg higher than your heart level by using pillows to support the leg while you rest. This will help blood and lymph fluid return into circulation as opposed to collecting in your lower leg or knee. It's easier to elevate your leg while lying on the couch instead of sitting in a chair. Total bed rest is not a good idea for any type of musculoskeletal injury because some movement (even just limping around the house) is needed to stimulate blood flow and healing. As such, some rest is good, but complete inactivity is counterproductive. The application of ice is an effective treatment for essentially all acute musculoskeletal injuries because it restricts blood vessels (reducing inflammation) and numbs nerve fibers (reducing pain). Cold therapy should be applied above and around the scar from the operation for about 15 minutes every 2-3 hours for a couple of days, then reduce the frequency as the pain and swelling subside. Compressing the ice against your knee with a bandage or elastic support will also help control the inflammation and limit swelling. Always wrap ice or frozen gel packs in a thin towel in order to prevent frostbite on your skin. You will leave the hospital with a sanitized dressing covering your knee, which will absorb any blood that leaks from the wound. Your surgeon will tell you when you can shower or bathe, and when you should change the dressing in order to reduce the likelihood of infection. The main intention is to keep the surgical incision clean and dry. Using some antiseptic solution on the wound as you change the bandage is a good idea. In most cases, you'll be able to fully wash your body about 48 hours after surgery. Common antiseptic solutions include iodine, rubbing alcohol and hydrogen peroxide. Check with your surgeon before applying anything to the wound. For example, iodine can impede wound healing and has fallen out of favor with some surgeons Signs of infection post-surgery include increased pain and swelling near the incision, drainage of pus and/or red streaks extending from the affected area, fever and lethargy. If any of these signs manifest, then see your doctor immediately. Your doctor will treat your infection with systemic antibiotics and local antiseptic solutions. In more extreme cases, your infected wound may have to be drained of the pus and fluid.