TOTAL KNEE REPLACEMENT

The rest of your hospital stay

You will make daily progress and should be able to take your first shower on the day after the operation. The physiotherapist will see you daily for a treatment session. The rehabilitation exercises may seem simple, but it is very important that they should be done regularly and correctly to ensure a smooth and thorough recovery. The pre-requisites for you to be discharged are that pain is well-controlled, you do not have excessive nausea and can do all the following:

  1. Get in and out of the bed unaided.
  2. Walk comfortably with 2 crutches or a walking frame.
  3. Climb a short flight of stairs.
  4. Bend your knee to 90°.

After a one-sided (single) TKR operation most patients spend one to two nights in hospital (if you have surgery on Monday you can usually go home by Wednesday). After a bilateral TKR surgery (both knees at the same time) the stay is usually extended to three nights in hospital (if you have surgery on Monday you can usually go home by Thursday).