Summarize the following:
Arthroscopic surgery may alleviate most of your knee pain almost immediately, but be very careful and resist the urge to participate in any strenuous activity during the first few days or so to allow for healing. Any exercise during the first few days post surgery should be very mild and focused on leg muscle contractions and mobilization without weight bearing, such as slowly raising your leg while lying on your bed or sofa. After a few days, focus on regaining your balance and coordination by putting more weight on your leg, but support yourself with a chair or against the wall in case you lose your balance. Complete inactivity (such as bed rest) is not recommended post surgery muscles and joints need to move and get ample blood flow in order to heal. Most likely you'll need to take some time off from your job, especially if it involves much standing, walking, driving or lifting. Recovery from simple arthroscopic procedures is usually relatively fast (a few weeks), but you may need to use crutches during that time. If parts of your knee have been repaired or rebuilt, you may not be able to walk without crutches or a knee brace for several weeks, and full recovery may take several months to a year. Make sure your crutches fit your height, otherwise you might develop a shoulder injury. If you have a physical job, then talk to your boss about switching to something less demanding, if possible. For example, maybe you can do something more sedentary at the office or work from home on the computer. Even driving is typically restricted from 1-3 weeks after an arthroscopic knee procedure, so merely getting to work might be very difficult. When you'll be able to drive depends on: the knee involved, whether your car is manual or automatic, the nature of the procedure, your level of pain, and whether you are using narcotic pain medications. If your right knee is involved (which is needed to press the gas and brake pedals), expect to be restricted from driving for a longer duration.
Take it easy during the first few days. Use crutches. Alter your routine at work.