Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty: A Patient's Guide to Partial Knee Replacement using Minimally-Invasive Surgery (MIS) Techniques.
Edited By: Seth S. Leopold, M.D.
Last updated Wednesday, December 29, 2004
Recovering from surgeryHow much pain do patients usually have after partial knee replacement surgery for arthritis of the knee and what medications are used to manage it? One of the principal benefits of the mini knee is that it typically
is much less painful than other types of major knee reconstruction.
Whenever possible, we use a continuous epidural technique to provide
excellent pain relief for the duration of the hospital stay. Patients
with a good epidural can expect to walk with crutches or a walker, and
to take the knee through a near-full range of motion on the day after
surgery. How are medications after partial knee replacement surgery for arthritis of the knee administered? How long will they be needed? Following discharge from the hospital, most patients will take oral
pain medications--usually Percocet, Vicoden, or Tylenol #3--for one to
three weeks after the procedure, mainly to help with physical therapy
and home exercises for the knee.
Quick rehabilitation is the norm following this procedure, with most
patients being able to walk unassisted between one and two weeks after
the surgery.How does pain medication usually affect pain and comfort following partial knee replacement surgery for arthritis of the knee? Patients who have been through the mini knee on one knee and
traditional knee replacement on the other, report that the partial knee
replacement procedure is much less painful. While any surgical
procedure is associated with post-operative discomfort, most patients
who have had the mini knee say that the pain is not severe and that it
is very well controlled with pain medications.
What is the recovery from partial knee replacement surgery for arthritis of the knee? What type of rehabilitation is started in the hospital? Physical therapy starts on the day of surgery in the hospital, or the
very next day after the operation. Patients are encouraged to walk, and
to bear as much weight on the leg as they are comfortable doing.
Range-of-motion exercises are initiated on the day of surgery or the
next morning. The physical therapist should be an integral member of
the health care team. In addition, the patient’s own high level of
motivation and enthusiasm for recovery are very important elements in
determining the ultimate outcome.After partial knee replacement surgery for arthritis of the knee, what happens at hospital discharge and what are the patient's limitations at that time? The average hospital stay after the mini knee is two days.What type of help do patients need after partial knee replacement surgery for arthritis of the knee and for how long? Can they go home or do they require a convalescent facility? Most patients are able to go home at after two days, and do not
require any inpatient rehabilitation or other inpatient convalescence
following the surgery.
Some patients, including the very elderly and those patients who
live alone, may desire a short stay at an inpatient rehabilitation
hospital or extended-care facility; certainly, such desires can be
accommodated and the necessary arrangements made prior to hospital
discharge.
Patients are encouraged to walk and use the knee as normally as
possible following the mini knee. Patients are allowed to shower
following hospital discharge. We do not recommend that patients drive
while taking narcotic-based pain medications; on average, patients are
able to drive between two and four weeks after the surgery. Surgery for arthritis of the knee at the University of Washington If you are interested in making an appointment to discuss this procedure, you can request an appointment using our online referrals website. To request a referral online, please click here. You can also call the Bone & Joint Surgery Center at 206-598-3354 or Eastside Specialty Clinic at 425-646-7777 to make an appointment.
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