Many people who have knee replacement surgery expect to be pain free within days of surgery. While knee replacement does typically bring relief from your chronic knee pain quickly, you are going to have to do some work to get to that point. Here’s what the team at Endurance Rehabilitation recommends.

1. Don’t Sit Around Too Much

The sooner you get up and moving after your knee replacement, the better. While it’s tempting to sit and rest when your knee is sore, you need to be as mobile as possible to encourage healing and prevent tightness of the knee. Always touch base with your doctor to see how much movement is best.

2. Use Ice

For swelling and pain, ice is the best treatment. Regularly ice the knee to reduce these problems and encourage healing.

3. Watch for Excessive Swelling

While some swelling is expected after knee replacement, if you see sudden swelling, the area feels hot to the touch, or you have swelling after it started to heal, get your knee looked at quickly. This can be a sign of infection.

4. Keep up with Physical Therapy

You will need to visit a physical therapist in Scottsdale or Phoenix, AZ, for follow-up after your surgery. Keep these appointments and do the exercises and stretches the therapist gives you. At Endurance Rehabilitation, our goal is a full and complete recovery, but you will need to help us by doing your work at home.

5. Go Slow and Steady

It’s easy to get impatient for your recovery after knee replacement surgery. However, remember that this is major surgery, and recovery will take time. Be patient, listen to your physical therapist in Scottsdale or Phoenix, AZ, and soon you will be on your way to a functional, pain-free knee.