Knee replacement surgery is one of the most successful orthopaedic treatments. Most of them report that they are completely satisfied with their surgery and have recovered. Among those, some patients do not recover up to a satisfactory level and cannot walk properly. The reason is that recovery is more than just the surgical process. Other factors also contribute to successful recovery, i.e., such as post-surgery rehabilitation, nutrition, and preparing for the surgery.
Let us look at what to wear for knee surgery.
Two weeks before the surgery
Ensure that all your queries and doubts have been cleared, including the pros and cons of knee surgery. If any lingering doubts, do fix up an appointment with your doctor to get all questions answered.
If you are on any long-term medications for eg diabetes, high blood pressure or blood thinners, collate a list and inform your doctors. Blood thinners might need to be stopped 1 to 2 weeks prior to the surgery to prevent excessive blood loss during the operation. The doctor will advise or adjust the medications for the period leading up to the surgery.
Have a nutritious and balanced diet, consisting of adequate protein. This helps with post-op recovery. If you smoke, cut down prior to the surgery. Avoid taking alcohol as soon as you have decided on surgery.
If you are using any insurance for the surgery, ensure that all paperwork such as those for pre-authorisation is submitted to the insurer for approval. The clinic usually should be able to help you with that.
Most patients after knee replacement surgery are able to walk a flight of stairs and have no trouble with going to the bathroom or shower, and even standing for some time to cook a simple meal. However, it would be wise to ensure that bathroom floors are slip-proof, and declutter the house to avoid trips and falls after surgery.
It would also be useful to strengthen your core and work on isometric strengthening of your quads, glutes and hamstrings prior to the surgery. This would smoothen the muscle recruitment process post-surgery.
Avoid applying plasters or new topical ointments onto the knee to avoid the risk of developing skin allergies to these new products. Any inflammation or cracks in the skin would predispose to post-op wound infection and you might even need to postpone the surgery.
If you are planning your COVID booster, do plan it at least 2 weeks prior to the knee surgery.
If you come down with a fever or cold symptoms, you would need to notify your doctor.
If you stay alone, ask a family member or friend to check on you daily after being discharged home.
Two Days Before the Surgery to the Day of Surgery
Run through information such as the hospital address where you are having your surgery done, the reporting time and fasting time. Generally, patients need to be fasted 6 hr prior to their surgery. You can have sips of plain water up to 2 hr prior to the surgery. On the morning of the surgery, you would need to take your blood pressure pills (do confirm with your doctor) with sips of water before you leave your house. Generally, the reporting time is 2 hours before the surgery booking.
Have a good night’s sleep before the surgery. A good rest helps to ensure smooth anaesthesia and also helps with your post-op recovery.
What To Wear For A Knee Replacement Surgery
The most important thing is to know what to wear for knee surgery. It is best to bring comfortable, loose clothing to wear before and after your surgery. You should choose either loose-fitting pants that can accommodate knee dressings, or just simple shorts/bermudas.
Leave your jewellery at home. You don’t want to be worried about losing them while stressing about the surgery.
Remove any makeup, lipstick or nail polish before leaving home for the surgery. This might affect post-op monitoring.
Things to Bring For Your Knee Replacement Surgery
If you have any walking aids or walking frames at home, you may bring them along. You can reuse them after the surgery and we expect you to be walking on Day 1 after surgery!
You are also advised to bring along the medications that you take on a regular basis.
Best Shoes To Wear After Knee Surgery
Think about what to wear for knee surgery. Choose comfortable shoes. After the surgery, your knee might feel sore, stiff and weak for the first 2 weeks. Thus it would be useful to prepare slip-on shoes like sandals or loafers, with non-slip soles to prevent falls
Let Us Walk Your Journey With You!
Contact a knee pain doctor in Singapore and get all your queries answered. Our orthopaedic surgeons are just a call away. Let us help you with your journey to achieving pain-free mobility.
