para>This is a series of images showing how to care for your wound. They include washing your hands, having the doctor take out your stitches or staples, not removing the small pieces of tape over the wound, taking care of your dressing, and watching for signs of infection like pus or redness around the wound.View Original
This is a series of images showing how to care for your wound. They include washing your hands, having the doctor take out your stitches or staples, not removing the small pieces of tape over the wound, taking care of your dressing, and watching for signs of infection like pus or redness around the wound.
View Original
What care is needed at home?
- Ask your doctor what you need to do when you go home. Make sure you understand everything the doctor says. This way you will know what you need to do.
- Place an ice pack or a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a towel on your knee. Never put ice right on the skin. Do not leave the ice on more than 10 to 15 minutes at a time. You may do this several times a day to help lessen pain and swelling.
- You may need to wear a brace to support your knee. Ask your doctor how long you need to wear the brace.
- You may also need to use crutches or a walker to get around. Talk to the doctor about how much weight you can put on your leg. Depending on your surgery, you may not be allowed to put any weight on it at all. Other times, you will be able to put some weight on your leg or as much weight as tolerated. It is very important to follow these instructions to allow for proper healing.
- Talk to your doctor about how to care for your cut site. Ask your doctor about:
- When you should change your bandages.
- When you may take a bath or shower.
- If you need to be careful with lifting things over 10 pounds.
- When you may go back to your normal activities like work or driving.
- Do any exercises that your doctor shows you to do. Your doctor will probably send you to physical therapy very soon after surgery. It is important to do these exercises to get full recovery of your knee.
What follow-up care is needed?
- Your doctor may ask you to make visits to the office to check on your progress. Be sure to keep these visits.
- If you have stitches, you may need to have them taken out. Your doctor will often want to do this in 1 to 2 weeks.
- You may also need to see a physical therapist (PT). The PT will teach you exercises to help you get back your strength and motion.
What drugs may be needed?
Your doctor may order drugs to: ‚
- Help with pain and swelling
- Prevent infection
Will physical activity be limited?
You may need to rest your knee for a while. You should not do physical activity that makes your health problem worse. If you run, work out, or play sports, you may not be able to do those things until your health problem gets better. ‚
What problems could happen?
- Infection
- Bleeding
- Damage to blood vessels or nerves
- Blood clots
- Ongoing pain and stiffness
- Unable to fix the problem with arthroscopy and need to do an open surgery
What can be done to prevent this health problem?
To prevent injuring to your knee again: ‚
- Return slowly to your regular activities. Doing too much too soon may delay healing or hurt your knee again.
- Avoid or use caution when playing sports that will put a lot of strain on your knee like running, twisting, or fast starts and stops. Ask your doctor what is safe to do.
- After going through a rehab program, your doctor may recommend that you continue doing activities that will strengthen your knee.
- Stay active and work out to keep your muscles strong and flexible.
- Always warm-up slowly and stretch your knee before you exercise.
When do I need to call the doctor?
- Signs of infection. These include a fever of 100.4 ‚ °F (38 ‚ °C) or higher, chills, wound that will not heal.
- Signs of wound infection. These include swelling, redness, warmth around the wound; too much pain when touched; yellowish, greenish, or bloody discharge; foul smell coming from the cut site; cut site opens up.
- Increased numbness or tingling in the leg and foot
- Foot feels cold
- You are not feeling better in 2 to 3 days or you are feeling worse
Teach Back: Helping You Understand
The Teach Back Method helps you understand the information we are giving you. The idea is simple. After talking with the staff, you will tell them in your own words what you learned from the information. This helps to make sure the staff has covered each thing clearly. It also helps to explain things that may have been a bit confusing. Before going home, make sure you are able to do these: ‚
- I can tell you about my condition and how to prevent it.
- I can tell you how to care for my cut site.
- I can tell you what I will do if I have a fever, chills, or my wound will not heal.
Where can I learn more?
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons ‚
http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/PDFs/A00299.pdf ‚
Last Reviewed Date
2015-06-09 ‚
List_set bdysylist
- Neuromuscular and Skeletal
- Therapy (Occupational, Physical, Speech, etc)
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care provider 's advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
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Copyright ‚ © 2016 Wolters Kluwer Clinical Drug Information, Inc. and its affiliates and/or licensors. All rights reserved. ‚