- Depending on the severity of your knee injury, or the extensiveness of your surgery, your physician may require the following post-operatively:
- Large ace from foot to thigh
- Full weight bearing
- During the first 48 hours post-op, you should keep your leg elevated above your heart. Keep on dressing and ace bandage.
- Keep the dressing and ace bandage clean and dry. DO NOT REMOVE until 1 day after surgery. After 1 day, you may remove the ace bandage and gauze, but you must keep puncture wounds covered with band-aids. If you have small steri-strips on the incisions, DO NOT remove those. Simply cover with band-aids. You may shower on 3rd day after surgery.
- You my exercise by doing the following:
- Ankle Pumps – With brace on, pump your ankle up and down.
- Straight Leg Raises – Lifting your entire leg straight up and down.
- Knee Flexion – You may also work on bending, or flexion, of your knee according to your physician’s instructions.
- You may ice your knee, 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off. Never apply ice directly to skin.
- Take pain medication is directed by your physician.
- Try to sleep with your leg elevated above your heart using pillows.
- Call the office if you have a temperature above 101.0, any drainage or unusual redness.
- Call the office within 2 days after you surgery to schedule a post-op visit with your physician.
