If you have a knee injury that requires surgery, one of the first questions you are likely to have is about how long the recovery will be. The length of your knee surgery recovery will depend on the type of surgery used, the nature of the condition being treated, and your own healing time. Below, we will take a look at what you can expect in terms of recovering from knee surgery.
Arthroscopic Knee Surgery Recovery
Arthroscopic knee surgery is a minimally invasive form of surgery that allows patients to get treated for their knee condition without the doctor opening up the knee. It is commonly used for meniscus tears, ligament tears, and other less extensive knee injuries.
Here’s what most patients experience after arthroscopic knee surgery:
- Return home the same day as surgery
- For the first few days, you will walk around for a few minutes, but need to rest a lot and use ice application and pain medication to manage symptoms
- You’ll start physical therapy to help rehabilitate the knee
- Within a week, you will feel up to most of your normal activities, like working at a desk job
- Within 6 weeks, you can return to moderately strenuous activities, like moderate exercise and working a factory job
- It will be several months or longer until you can return to very strenuous activities like athletic training at an elite level.
Open Knee Surgery Recovery
Open knee surgery is a much more invasive form of surgery used to perform major procedures such as knee replacement. The recovery period is much longer and more strenuous than for arthroscopic knee surgery. You can expect to stay in the hospital for at least a day, and your recovery will progress more slowly. Your doctor can provide more information on what to expect in your unique case.
Ways to Minimize Recovery Time
You can take some steps to minimize your knee surgery recovery time, including:
- Get plenty of sleep
- Refrain from smoking
- Eat a healthy diet rich in protein and nutrients
- Touch your incision as little as possible, and only with clean hands
- Participate in physical therapy, both at home and in formal sessions
- Do not push yourself to do more than your doctor has recommended
- Learn about the signs of complications and when to report symptoms to your doctor
While the time for knee surgery recovery can be significant, it is important to remember that the recovery period is a period of progression towards the maximum possible level of use of the knee. Without surgery, such progression would not be possible, and regression would be likely. Therefore, getting treatment for your knee condition as soon as possible is essential to your health and quality of life.
If you have a knee problem, getting treatment sooner rather than later can minimize damage to the knee joint. To schedule a consultation about treatment for your knee condition, please click below and enter your information or call Dr. Howard Marans at (714) 979-8981.
