These exercises should be started as soon as you have regained muscle control of your knee. They will be shown to you by the physiotherapist when you are in hospital. The exercises are designed to help you regain full range of movement and muscle strength in your leg. It is equally important to be able…
Strenuous physical activity and sport can be resumed when the knee is feeling strong and comfortable and is no longer swollen, which is usually after two to three weeks. This may depend on the type of surgery carried out. It is advisable to gradually increase your level of activity. Before returning to competitive sport such…
Driving is usually possible after five days when the knee is feeling comfortable. Make sure you can bend and straighten your knee vigorously without pain. Check that you can perform an emergency stop safely.
Return to work when your knee feels comfortable and when you feel confident that your knee will be able to stand the stresses of your job. If you have an office type job you should be able to return to work after 1 week. If your job is strenuous and involves climbing and squatting then…
The bandage can be removed on the morning following surgery. The puncture wounds will have a stitch or a steristrip tape keeping the wound edges together and will be covered by a small sticky dressing. Replace the dressing with an elastoplast dressing if necessary but keep the puncture wounds covered and keep the knee dry…
It is important to start exercising your knee as soon as possible because the muscles can become weak quite quickly. After your operation you will have a padded bandage around your knee. You cannot do any harm to your knee by lifting the leg straight, or by bending it, within the confines of the bandage….
Before the OperationWhen you are admitted to the hospital the operating surgeon will re-examine your knee, marking the particular leg and will ask you to sign a consent form. Any last minute questions can be answered. The nursing staff and physiotherapist will also visit you to explain the procedure.
ARTHROSCOPY of the knee is an operation in which a small camera and surgical instruments are inserted into your knee through two or three small (1cm) puncture wounds. The structures within the knee are assessed including the meniscus (mobile footballer’s cartilage), the synovium (lining of the knee), the articular cartilage (joint surfaces), and the cruciate…
This information sheet provides information on the nature and purpose of the procedure in addition to an outline of the post-operative rehabilitation
Traditionally, examination of a joint involves the principle ‘look, feel, move’. Whilst this adage may still hold true for basic examination of the knee, the order and sequence of examination changes depending on the likely diagnosis suggested by the history. For example when examining a severely arthritic knee it is not necessary to examine for…
