Aftercare

Arthroscopy Aftercare

Following surgery the knee is filled with local anaesthetic and a padded bandage is then applied. Because the anaesthetic makes the knee a little clumsy during the first few hours following surgery, you are asked to use crutches when you are discharged from hospital, but you may walk without these as soon as you feel able, unless you have specifically been asked to continue using them by your surgeon.

All Knee Clinic patients undergoing knee arthroscopy receive protection against thrombosis with anti-embolism stockings supplemented by blood thinning drugs where necessary. You will usually be referred to a physiotherapist who will supervise your early post-operative rehabilitation, although it is rare following simple arthroscopy to require more than 2 or 3 sessions of physiotherapy during the first 3 or 4 weeks following your operation. Most patients have made a full recovery between 4 and 6 weeks following surgery and on average require only 1 week away from work.

Depending upon which leg has been operated upon and whether or not you drive a manual or an automatic car you should be able to drive around one week following your surgery.   Return to work is usually delayed for between one and two weeks.   Advice on flying can be found by downloading the document ‘Planning & Preparing for your Operation’ from the downloads page of the website.