Knee Arthroscopy Discharge Information

Discharge Advice - Knee Arthroscopy

Activity guidelines

You can weightbear and walk as comfortable.

You do not usually need a brace or crutches.

After 2 days you can start doing stretches (put the foot up on a stool, let your knee hang free and gently push down) and gentle bending exercises.

When resting, elevate your leg. You can apply ice-packs wrapped in a towel or blanket onto your knee.

Hygiene:

During the first 2 weeks, until the wounds are healed, keep your dressings clean and dry.

For shower you will need to put a waterproof plastic bag (a clean bin liner usually does well) on your operated leg and seal it around your thigh with tape. Alternatively tightly wrap your knee with cling film.

Wound care:

• Keep your dressing clean and dry.

• Remove the bandage after 48 hours.

• Should your sticky dressing bleed through, chang it to a clean one, leaving the steri-strips (adhesive strips sealing your wounds) intact.

Medications:

• You should resume taking your normal medications.

• Take painkillers as directed.

• When taking strong painkillers (Codeine, Tramadol, Oxycontin, Oxynorm) you will need to watch out for constipation. Eat plenty of high fibre food, fruit and drink plenty of fluid.

Notify your doctor if you:

• Develop a fever of 38 degrees or more that lasts 24 hours.

• Have numbness or tingling of the foot.

• Have profuse drainage from your wound.

• Have increased pain despite using painkillers.

• Develop increased swelling of your foot, coolness and loss of color despite elevating and moving your ankle.

• Develop swelling and pain in your calf, back of the knee or thigh.

• Develop sudden chest pain and shortness of breath (this could be a sign of pulmonary embolism - please go to the nearest Emergency Department).