🍽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 the bandage if foot or ankle swelling occurs.
- It is normal for the knee to bleed slightly and swell after surgery.
- If blood soaks through the bandage, do not panic. Reinforce with additional dressings as needed.
- Remove your surgical dressing on the second post-operative day.
- If steri-strips are present, they should remain in place until your first post-operative visit.
- If minimal drainage is present, cover the incision with band-aids and change daily.
- To avoid infection, keep surgical incisions clean and dry. Cover incisions with waterproof bandages or Press-and-Seal for showering. NO immersion of the leg in water (i.e., bath or 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.
- Aspirin (81mg or 325mg, as instructed by your doctor) should be taken daily to gently thin the blood and decrease your risk of a DVT/blood clot.
- 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 the operative leg above heart level when possible to decrease swelling.
- Use crutches to assist with walking. Protected weight-bearing (toe-touch to partial) for approximately 6 weeks is typical and depends on the location of your cartilage repair — follow the specific weight-bearing instructions given by your surgeon.
- Advance to weight-bearing as tolerated only when cleared by your surgeon (on average around 6 weeks).
- Avoid impact activities (running, jumping) and deep squatting until cleared.
- No driving until instructed by your medical team.
- You may return to sedentary work or school within a few days after surgery, if pain is tolerable.
🧮Brace
- You may be discharged wearing a hinged knee brace. Wear it as instructed by your surgeon — typically locked in full extension for walking and sleeping early on.
- You may unlock the brace for seated or lying range-of-motion exercises as directed.
- You may remove the brace for showering.
❄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)
♻CPM Machine
- If a CPM machine was prescribed, begin on post-operative day 1.
- Early motion is important to nourish and protect the cartilage graft. Advance the range as tolerated and as directed by your surgeon.
- We typically recommend 4-6 hours daily, which can be broken into 2 or 3 sessions.
💪Exercise
- Begin gentle exercises on post-operative day one (quad sets, heel slides, ankle pumps, and straight leg raises as directed).
- Early, protected range of motion is encouraged to nourish the cartilage graft — bend the knee as directed by your surgeon.
- Perform ankle pumps throughout the day to reduce the risk of a blood clot in your calf.
- Formal physical therapy will be discussed at your first post-operative visit, typically 7-14 days after surgery, and is critical to your recovery.
⚠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.