🍽Diet
- Begin with clear liquids and light foods (jello, soup, toast, etc…)
- Progress slowly back to your pre-op diet as tolerated
- Try to avoid taking narcotics on an empty stomach to avoid nausea
🩹Wound Care
- Take good care of your operative dressing. You may loosen bandage if foot or ankle swelling occurs
- It is normal for the knee to bleed slightly and swell after surgery
- If blood soaks through bandage, do not panic. Reinforce with additional dressings as needed.
- Remove your surgical dressing on second post-operative day
- If steri-strips are present, they should remain in place until first post-operative visit
- If minimal drainage is present, cover incision with band-aids and change daily.
- To avoid infections, keep surgical incisions clean and dry. – Please cover incisions with waterproof bandages or Press-and-Seal for showering. NO immersion of leg in water (ie: bath, pool)
💊Medications
- Pain medication is injected into the wound and knee joint during surgery. This will wear off in approximately 8-12 hours from surgery.
- Most patients will require a short period of narcotic pain medication. This should be taken as directed on the bottle
- Norco (hydrocodone/tylenol) or Percocet (oxycodone/Tylenol)
- Take 1-2 tablets every 4-6 hours as needed for pain.
- Maximum of 12 pills per 24 hour period
- Do NOT take additional Tylenol (acetaminophen) while taking these medications. Many products contain this medication (cough meds, cold meds) and can lead to liver damage.
- Common side effects of narcotic pain medications are nausea, drowsiness, and constipation. Use a stool softener (Colace, senokot) or laxative (Miralax) as needed
- If you are having problems with nausea and vomiting, call the office to see if the medication should be changed or additional medications prescribed.
- Journavx (suzetrigine): If you were prescribed Journavx, take 2 tablets (your one-time starting dose) with a small sip of water before leaving home the morning of surgery. Then take 1 tablet every 12 hours, starting 12 hours after your first dose, as directed. Take the starting dose on an empty stomach, and avoid grapefruit while taking this medication.
- Do not drive a car or operate heavy machinery while taking narcotics.
🏃Activity
- Elevate operative leg to chest level when possible to decrease swelling
- Do not place pillows under knee (avoid long periods in flexed position). Place pillows under foot/ankle to elevate leg.
- Avoid activities that increase pain/swelling until first post-operative visit. Also avoid prolonged standing or walking.
- Use crutches to assist with walking as needed. You may put all of your weight on the surgical leg.
- Avoid long periods of sitting (without leg elevated) for any long distance travelling for the first two weeks after surgery.
- You may return to sedentary work or school as soon as pain is tolerable.
❄Ice Therapy
- Begin immediately after surgery
- Use ice machine or ice packs every 2 hours for 20 minutes until your first post-operative visit.
- If an ice machine was prescribed, may use continuously until first post-operative visit. Remember to protect the skin to avoid thermal injury (frostbite)
💪Exercise
- Begin exercises on post-operative day one. (Straight leg raises, quad sets, heel slides and ankle pumps)
- Discomfort and knee stiffness is normal for several days after surgery –it is safe and preferable to bend your knee (unless Dr. Wichman instructs you not to)
- Complete exercises 3-4 times daily until your first post-operative visit. Your goal is to have complete extension (fully straight) and 90 degrees of flexion (bending) by your first post-operative visit (unless instructed otherwise)
- Perform ankle pumps throughout the day to reduce risk of blood clot in your calf.
- Formal physical therapy (PT) will be discussed at your first post-operative visit with a PA, typically 7-14 days after surgery.
⚠When to Call Us
Contact Dr. Wichman at 414-479-7000 if any of the following are present:
- Painful swelling or numbness
- Unrelenting pain
- Redness around incisions
- Fever (above 101.5°F) - It is not uncommon to have a low-grade fever for the first day or two following surgery.
- Color changes in foot, ankle, or lower extremity
- Continuous drainage or bleeding from incisions (a small amount of drainage is expected.)
- Difficulty breathing
- Excessive nausea or vomiting
If you have an emergency after hours or over the weekend, call 414-479-7000 to be connected to the “on-call” physician or physician assistant. Do NOT call the hospital or surgery center.
If you have an emergency that requires immediate attention, call 911 or proceed to the nearest Emergency Room.