Knee or hip replacement surgery typically takes 45-60 minutes.. Revision surgery (redoing a previously placed prosthesis) requires a longer operation, depending upon the complexity of the surgery. After your surgery, you will go to the Recovery Room for approximately one hour and then to your private room on the joint replacement floor. During surgery, your family can relax in the Surgery Waiting Room and your surgeon will contact them immediately following your operation.
Most patients will have a regional anesthesia, utilizing specific nerve blocks designed for hip or knee replacement. These nerve blocks last for the first 24 hrs or so after surgery, reducing the need for oral pain medication. The anesthesiologist will give you a sedative medication to help you relax prior to surgery. You will be asleep for the actual surgery. 160;
POST-OP
Pain medication will be prescribed for you after surgery. A mulitmodal approach is used. This means severa; different types of medication will be used to treat the different pain pathways we all have. Please see the Hot Topics section for more on this topic.
It is very important for you to take deep breaths and cough 2-3 times every hour while you are awake. This helps expand your lungs to prevent lung complications. Moving your ankles (pumping) also helps decrease the risk of blood clots in your legs. You will likely get out of bed the day of surgery. DON'T BE AFRAID TO MOVE!
A physical therapist will instruct you in the use of a walker or crutches. An occupational therapist will help you with activities of daily living such as getting dressed. Discharge plans will be made for you. The vast majority of patients are safe and ready to go home on the second or third post operative day. For example, if you have your knee or hip replacement on Tuesday, you will likely be ready to go home safely on Thursday, or sometimes on Friday. . Once home, you will need to perform some simple range of motion exercises daily that we will teach you while in the hospital. . Your family, friends or neighbors should be included in the plans for your rehabilitation at home and should check on you once a day if possible.
