How to Prepare for Knee Replacement Surgery

Key Takeaways

• Start early – Preparing for knee replacement surgery weeks in advance gives you time to address physical, practical, and logistical needs before your procedure.
• Build strength – Prehabilitation and safe pre-op exercises can help maintain muscle strength and mobility before surgery, particularly in the quadriceps and surrounding leg muscles.
• Prepare for recovery – Creating a safer home environment and arranging transportation, meals, errands, and household assistance can make the early stages of recovery easier to manage.
• Stay involved – Understanding your procedure and following your personalized rehabilitation plan can help you actively participate in your recovery and work toward returning to comfortable, functional movement.

Start Preparing Before Your Surgery Date

Preparing for knee replacement surgery should begin well before the night before your procedure. You should proactively work to improve your physical condition, adapt your home environment, free up your schedule, and tailor your expectations for recovery so you focus your attention on healing once you return home.

However, you should keep in mind that preparation is not about trying to guarantee a certain recovery timeline. Every patient responds differently to knee replacement based on factors such as their overall health, activity level, procedure, and rehabilitation progress. Planning ahead simply helps eliminate challenges that could otherwise be avoided.

The guide below can give you an idea of how to prepare for knee replacement surgery. However, the individualized advice from your care team will be the best resource, as your healthcare provider will have an understanding of your unique condition. 

Strengthening Your Body Before Knee Replacement

Your muscles will play an important role in supporting your knee after surgery. Most people know that they’ll be asked to try knee replacement exercises after surgery to fortify their strength, but not everyone understands the importance of maintaining as much strength and mobility as possible before knee replacement—pre-knee replacement exercises may help you heal faster.

This approach is sometimes called prehabilitation, or “prehab.” The goal is not to reverse arthritis or eliminate the need for surgery. Instead, prehabilitation focuses on helping you enter surgery in the best physical condition possible.

The quadriceps are particularly important because they help straighten the knee and contribute to standing, walking, climbing stairs, and other everyday movements. Other muscles throughout the hip and leg also contribute to stability and mobility.

Safe Pre-Op Exercises

Your surgeon or physical therapist can recommend exercises appropriate for your condition. Depending on your circumstances, these may include exercises like:

• Straight leg raises
• Seated knee extensions
• Thigh squeezes
• Gentle walking

Although these exercises are considered low-impact and joint-healthy, whether they are appropriate for you depends on your symptoms, mobility, and overall health. You should not push through significant pain simply to build strength before surgery. Your care team should be able to offer guidance on how to maintain movement and muscle function without aggravating the joint.

Creating a Safer Recovery Environment at Home

The first days after knee replacement can involve temporary limitations with everyday activities; even climbing stairs after knee replacement can be difficult. Preparing your home in advance can therefore be an important part of preparing for knee replacement surgery.

Create a Comfortable Recovery Space

Think about where you will spend most of your time during the first several days. Set up a comfortable location where you can easily access the items you use frequently.

Some examples of things you should keep within easy reach are:

• Water and snacks
• Your phone and charger
• Remote controls
• Reading materials
• Eyeglasses
• Blankets

Having these items around you can save you from repeatedly standing, bending, or walking across the house.

Reduce Fall Risks

A temporary change in mobility can make ordinary household obstacles more problematic. Before surgery, look around your home for potential tripping hazards.

Ask your able-bodied loved ones to help put certain safety precautions in place. They should be able to help with tasks like:

• Removing loose rugs/floor mats
• Clearing clutter from walkways, including securing or moving electrical cords
• Moving furniture that obstructs frequently used paths
• Ensuring walkways are adequately lit
• Adding bathroom safety equipment

If your bedroom is upstairs and navigating stairs will initially be difficult, ask your care team whether establishing a temporary sleeping area on the main level would be appropriate.

Make Frequently Used Items Easier to Reach

Move items you expect to need during recovery from high shelves or low cabinets to locations that are easier to access. This might include clothing, toiletries, kitchen supplies, and other household necessities.

The goal is simple: make your most common daily activities require as little unnecessary reaching, bending, or climbing as possible.

Arranging Support Before You Need It

One of the most useful things you can do before surgery is determine which of your family members or friends can help you once you return home. Making these arrangements ahead of time allows you to focus on recovery instead of trying to coordinate assistance while you’re tired or uncomfortable.

Plan Transportation

You will likely need transportation to and from follow-up visits and physical therapy. Ask your surgical team when you will be able to return to driving with your new knee and then arrange transportation accordingly. Doing this in advance rather than assuming someone will be available when you need them is key.

Plan Meals and Household Tasks

Consider which responsibilities may be difficult during the first few days or weeks. Depending on your situation, you may need assistance with:

• Grocery shopping
• Laundry
• Cleaning
• Pet care
• Outdoor maintenance
• Picking up prescriptions
• Meal preparation

As to that last point, nutrition plays a large role in joint replacement surgery recovery, making it important to prepare healthy meals in advance or arrange the delivery of well-balanced meals if your family or friends cannot assist.

Accept Help When It Is Offered

Many patients want to remain independent after surgery, but accepting assistance does not mean giving up your independence. Having someone available to help with practical responsibilities can allow you to conserve your energy for walking, physical therapy, and other aspects of recovery.

If you live alone, discuss your situation with your surgical team before the procedure. They can help you understand what level of assistance may be appropriate based on your expected recovery and individual circumstances.

Questions to Ask Before Your Surgery

Knowing what to expect can make the transition into recovery feel less uncertain. Before knee replacement, take the opportunity to have an open conversation with your orthopedic surgeon about the procedure and your individual goals.

The table below features some important questions to ask your surgical team, broken up into four separate categories.

Following Your Recovery Plan 

Preparing for surgery is only the beginning. Once the procedure is complete, active participation in your rehabilitation becomes an important part of restoring strength, mobility, and confidence.

Follow Your Physical Therapy Plan

Physical therapy after knee replacement surgery is vital for regaining knee motion, rebuilding strength, and developing more efficient movement patterns. Your exercises may change as your recovery progresses, allowing you to gradually increase the demands placed on your knee.

Consistency matters; however, more activity is not necessarily better. Your rehabilitation program should progress according to your individual recovery rather than according to someone else’s timeline.

Manage Swelling and Discomfort

Swelling and discomfort can affect your ability to move comfortably after surgery. Your care team should be able to provide recommendations for reducing swelling and managing pain immediately after surgery. These strategies may include things like:

• Elevation
• Icing
• Medication
• Gentle movement

Follow your surgical team’s instructions rather than attempting to develop your own recovery protocol.

Progress Gradually

As your strength and mobility improve, chances are, you will gradually be able to take on more activities. Your care team can help you understand when it is appropriate to increase walking, exercise, and other physical demands.

The objective is to steadily restore function while allowing your body adequate time to heal.

Setting Yourself Up for a Successful Recovery

Knowing how to prepare for knee replacement surgery is ultimately about more than checking items off a list. It means giving yourself time to prepare physically, making your home easier to navigate, arranging the help you may need, and understanding what recovery will involve.

It also means developing a partnership with your surgical and rehabilitation teams. Personalized surgical planning, appropriate rehabilitation, and consistent patient participation all contribute to the recovery process.

At The Joint Replacement Center of Scottsdale, our readily available team works with patients to develop individualized treatment and recovery plans based on their condition, goals, and circumstances. If you’re preparing for knee replacement surgery and want to better understand what to expect before and after your procedure, our team can help.

Contact us to schedule a consultation so we can begin planning for your recovery.