Knee Arthroplasty

When you have total knee replacement surgery, a surgeon makes a 6 to 10-inch incision in your knee and cuts away your damaged or worn bone and cartilage. Then the ends of the bones that form your knee joint are capped with an artificial joint, made of metal and plastic. Before the incision is closed, your knee will be rotated to make sure the implant is functioning properly. 

General anesthesia is most common for this procedure. But regional anesthetics—spinal, epidural, or regional—are also possibilities.

In general, severe complications from total knee replacement surgery are rare. You should also know that Hancock Regional Hospital has been rated one of the safest hospitals in America by The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit health care watchdog organization; and was named the safest hospital in Indiana on the Lown Institute Hospital Index.

Some of the possible side effects include nausea and vomiting, dry mouth, sore throat, muscle aches, headache, bruising (from the IV), itching, shivering and feeling cold, difficulty urinating, and sleepiness. In older patients, memory loss and temporary confusion are possible.

If you need total knee replacement surgery and elect not to have it, pain from the damaged knee could continue to decrease your movement, affecting your ability to move and exercise. That will impact your overall health, making your knee problem worse. And the longer you wait the more your knee joint will deteriorate.

Your health insurance provider may require you to get a referral from your primary care provider to see a surgeon about total knee replacement surgery.

You can always get a second or third opinion, but it isn’t required.

Your health history will be compiled and available to the team before, during, and after surgery. If you’re a Hancock Health patient, we will be able to access your records within our system. If you aren’t, we will work with your doctors to get the necessary information.

Your surgical team will evaluate the situation and help you make a choice that’s right for you and your health. Temporary treatments might be used if your surgery is rescheduled.

Consult the Price Transparency Tool at HancockRegionalHospital.org for an idea of how much total knee replacement surgery might cost.

Medicare parts A and B will cover the cost of knee replacement surgery, but it’s important for your doctor to indicate that the surgery is medically necessary.

You’ll probably be instructed not to eat anything after midnight on the day of your surgery, and you might also be told to stop taking certain medications or dietary supplements.

You’ll arrive several hours before your surgery and be escorted to the preoperative waiting area.You’ll remove all of your clothing and jewelry, and put on a hospital gown. (Your valuables will be placed in a secure area or may be given to a family member.) You’ll sign any necessary paperwork and a preoperative nurse will take your vital signs, review your medications, and answer any questions.You’ll meet the members of your surgery team. They will mark the location of your surgery on your body. An I.V. (intravenous line) will be placed in your hand or arm, so medications—including general anesthesia—can be administered. If you’re using a different kind of anesthesia, you’ll receive an injection.When it’s time for your surgery, you will be wheeled into the operating suite on a stretcher.

In addition to the surgeon, you have an anesthesiologist, nurses—some of them specialize in working with patients and others assist the surgeon—and support staff, who get you checked in and out, compile your records, and more. They all work together, performing their individual jobs, so the procedure is as successful as possible. 

Anything you’ll need for an overnight stay, including a change of underwear, a sweatshirt, glasses or contacts, headphones, and your medications. You might not be there overnight, but it’s a good idea to be prepared.

You’ll breathe oxygen through a mask and our team will track your vital signs as the surgery is performed. Your knee will be in a bent position, exposing the knee joint. That position gives the surgeon the best possible angle for the procedure.

Total knee replacement surgery typically takes one to three hours.

While the length of a hospital stay depends on each patient’s individual needs, many people can go home that same day. 

You’ll wake up from surgery in the recovery room and, as you start to regain feeling in your body, you’ll receive pain medication. After leaving the recovery room, you’ll be taken to your hospital room where you will be able to see friends or family who came with you. 

You’ll be able to talk to your surgeon immediately after your procedure, while you’re in the recovery room.

In most cases, patients receive pain medication immediately following surgery. 

You may be prescribed pain medication, anticoagulants, or other symptom-reducing medications.

Arrange for a walker or crutches for the weeks right after your surgery.Make sure you’ll have help with everyday tasks, such as cooking, showering, and doing laundry. If you live alone, our associates can help you find a temporary caretaker.

Our associates will help you arrange the postoperative care you’ll need.

Your stitches or staples will likely be removed during your first postoperative appointment with your surgeon, about two weeks after surgery. There will be a scar where the incision was made on your knee.

Change your dressing daily, starting two days after you leave the hospital. Don’t scrub the incision area. If you have steri-strips over your incision, they will fall off on their own within about two weeks.You may remove your dressing and shower two days after your surgery if there is no drainage from your incision. Carefully pat the incision dry after your shower and reapply the dressing.For about two weeks, don’t submerge your incision in water by taking a bath or getting in a pool or hot tub. When the incisions are completely healed, feel free to resume those activities.

If you have a desk job, you can probably return four to six weeks after your procedure. If your job requires more physical movement, it could take longer.