Six weeks can feel like a long wait. Used well, it is the best preparation you can give your new joint. This is the list our pre-surgery school works through.
Build strength you will need on day one
The muscles that help you stand after surgery are the ones you can train now: the front of the thigh, the buttocks and the arms that push you up from a chair. Ten minutes a day of simple exercises, such as sit to stand from a firm chair, straight leg raises and arm push-ups from the armrests, add up.
Walk, little and often
If walking hurts, walk less but more often. Three short walks around the compound are better than one long, painful trip to the market. A stationary bike or a pool is even kinder to a sore knee.
Get your home ready
- Move the things you use every day to between waist and shoulder height.
- Clear loose rugs and cables from walkways.
- Raise low chairs and the toilet seat if you can, and fit a rail by the toilet.
- Plan a bed downstairs for the first two weeks if your bedroom is up a long staircase.
Sort out the practical things
Arrange who will drive you to physiotherapy, who will cook, and who will run the shop or cover at work. Tell your HMO early, and send us their pre-authorisation letter as soon as you have it.
Look after your general health
Keep blood sugar and blood pressure steady, stop smoking if you can, and tell us about any skin cuts or infections on the leg in the weeks before surgery, because they can delay the operation.
Ask your questions now
Write them down as they come. At pre-surgery school, no question is too small, from how to sit in a car to when you can pray kneeling again.
