2 to 4 days
What to expect after your knee or hip replacement
The whole journey, in five stages - getting ready, the day itself, week-by-week recovery, physiotherapy, and the life you get back.
Reading this for a parent? It is written for you too - the person helping is part of every stage.
You do not have to read all of it. Open the stage you are at.
STAGE 1 • PREPARING FOR SURGERY
Getting ready, before the date
The weeks before surgery are about making the day itself safe and calm. Here is what we do, and what helps at home.
What we do before the date
A few checks, in order, so anything that needs settling is settled well before the day.
We go through your medicines
Certain blood thinners and diabetes medicines, may need to be paused or adjusted a few days before. We give you a clear list of what to keep taking and what to pause.
Routine checks
Blood tests, an ECG, and any extra heart or medical checks if you need them.
An anaesthesia fitness check
A final check that makes sure you are ready for the day. The point is simple - to find and settle anything beforehand, so the day itself is safe and calm.
Please do not stop any medicine on your own. Wait for our advice.
What helps at home
A few simple changes make the first weeks easier and safer.
For the first few days most people use a walker, and some also use a commode chair. Our team tells you what you need, and either arranges it before you go home or guides your family on what to bring.
Worth asking before the day
Ask us anything. No question is too small. It helps to be clear about:
the type of joint replacement planned, and the implant used
what to expect on the day of surgery
how your pain will be managed, and when you are likely to start walking
the expected hospital stay, physiotherapy, and recovery milestones
when you can return to your normal activities
Most of all, if something worries or frightens you, tell us beforehand. A patient who knows what is coming feels more confident and prepared.
STAGE 2 • SURGERY DAY & HOSPITAL STAY
The day itself, and your stay
Your surgery day follows a carefully planned schedule, with our team guiding and caring for you at every step. Here’s what you can expect from the moment you arrive until your recovery begins.
On the day
You are admitted, and we complete the final checks
Including a pre-anaesthetic check, before you go to the operating theatre.
You meet your anaesthetist
They explain the anaesthesia planned, answer any concerns, and make sure you are comfortable.
In the operating theatre
The surgery usually takes about one to two hours, depending on the procedure.
The recovery area
Your vital signs and pain are watched closely as the anaesthesia wears off.
Your family is told
They wait in the hospital waiting area, and are told once the surgery is done so they can see you.
If you feel nervous, hold on to this: a dedicated anaesthesia team watches you closely the whole time.
Your hospital stay
Within 24 hours
most patients stand and take their first steps with support, on the day of surgery or the next
Recovery starts early. Physiotherapy begins with simple exercises to get the joint moving, ease stiffness, and build your confidence on your feet. Over the next few days the team works with you on walking, movement, and stairs, so you can be safely independent before you go home.
Going home
Before you go home, we make sure that:
your pain is well controlled
you are walking safely with support
you are comfortable with the exercises the physiotherapy team has shown you
You leave with clear instructions on medicines, wound care, physiotherapy, and your follow-up. And if anything worries you once you are home, you can reach our team or the hospital helpline. You will know exactly who to contact before you leave.
STAGE 3 • RECOVERY, WEEK BY WEEK
Recovery, week by week
Recovery is not one straight line up. It has good days and bad days. What matters is the trend over a few weeks, not any single day.
Good days and bad days
Over weeks to months, the line climbs - even with dips along the way.
The one idea to hold on to
A bad day is a speed-breaker, not a stop sign. It means slow down for a day or two, keep icing and resting the joint, then start again. Judge it by the trend: if your line is climbing over two weeks to a month, you are on the right side.
The first days
The first steps come early. Most people stand and take a few assisted steps the day of surgery or the day after, usually with a walker for balance. The first days at home are about small, frequent moves - short walks indoors, the exercises the physiotherapist sets, ice, rest, and staying on top of pain relief. Do a little, often. Rest is part of the work, not a break from it.
Week by week
Every recovery is different, but most follow a pattern like this.
Week 1
Walking with support. Pain and swelling brought under control. Physiotherapy begins. You start doing everyday things for yourself again.
Weeks 2 to 6
Walking longer distances. Strength building, and the joint bending further. Less need for the walker or stick.
Weeks 6 to 12
Most of your routine comes back. Driving, once it is safe and we have advised it. Confidence and stamina build over time.
3 to 12 months
Strength, comfort, balance and movement keep improving. Final results usually come within a year.
Normal, or call us
Most of what you feel in recovery is normal. A few signs are not, and mean call us. Here is how to tell them apart.
Expected - settle it at home
Pain that rises after a busy day, then eases with rest and ice. Morning stiffness that loosens as you move. Mild swelling that goes down with ice and elevation. A bad day inside a line that is still climbing over two weeks to a month.
Contact us
New calf pain, tenderness, or swelling in the leg. Sudden breathlessness, chest pain, or a racing heart. Fever above 38°C, or chills. The wound leaking, or redness that is spreading. A sudden jump in pain after you had been improving, or the leg looking shorter or turned the wrong way. Difficulty taking weight. Severe pain that never lets up. And anything at all that feels unusual or worrying to you.
Telling us early lets us settle a problem before it becomes serious.
Everyday life, knee and hip
Most of daily life gets much easier.
What usually gets much easier
Deep bending - squatting, sitting cross-legged on the floor, kneeling for prayer - is the honest question, and the answer is different for a knee and for a hip.
After a knee replacement
Most people sit comfortably in a chair, climb stairs, and manage their daily activities. Deep squatting, sitting cross-legged and kneeling may improve, but we cannot promise them.
After a hip replacement
Most people return to sitting and walking comfortably. Deep squatting and sitting cross-legged depend on your own flexibility, your muscle strength, and the approach used in your surgery. Only try them once your surgeon has told you it is safe.
The goal is a joint that is comfortable and works well for your life, not simply one that bends further.
Your care team
You are not doing this alone.
The team at Mahajans Knee and Hip Centre
Every patient is personally assessed by Dr Mahajan, even when also seen by the team. This can add to the OPD waiting time, but it means your own surgeon reviews your case.
Around him, three people carry your day-to-day recovery, from your first consultation through the whole of it:
Physiotherapist
Leads your day-to-day rehabilitation
Ward nurse
Cares for you during your stay
Care coordinator
Your point of contact after surgery
The first two weeks are when help matters most - moving around the house, getting to the bathroom, keeping up the exercises and the ice. It gets lighter each week. Needing help early is normal and temporary, not a burden - it is part of the plan.
STAGE 4 • PHYSIOTHERAPY AND GETTING MOVING
Physiotherapy, and getting moving
This is the part that does the most to decide how well your recovery goes.
A structured programme improves
Our physiotherapists start soon after your surgery, and shape the programme around how you are actually progressing.
What it looks like
Exercises begin in hospital and carry on at home. We ask you to:
do your home exercises every day
walk several times a day
come to your physiotherapy sessions when they are scheduled
Physiotherapy at home can be arranged where it is appropriate, moving to clinic sessions as your recovery progresses.
Effort, not warning
Physiotherapy is hard work, and hard work has a feel to it. That feeling is not the same as the pain that means something is wrong. Here is how to tell them apart.
Normal after exercise
Mild muscle soreness. Stiffness that passes. Tiredness after a session that improves with rest.
Warning signs
Sharp pain, or pain that is getting worse. Swelling that is increasing. Pain that does not settle. Pain that comes with a fever, or with discharge from the wound.
If you are unsure which one you are feeling, contact the team. We would always rather you asked.
STAGE 5 • LIFE AFTER
Life after
A joint replacement is designed to give you back an active, comfortable life.
What comes back
Knee
The goal is walking comfortably, climbing stairs, travelling, and getting back to an active life with far less pain than you had before.
Hip
Most people get back a walking pattern close to natural, and return to their everyday activities comfortably and moving well.
Caring for your joint
A few habits help your joint replacement last:
keep to a healthy weight
stay physically active
keep up your strengthening exercises
avoid tobacco, and keep conditions like diabetes under control
We usually see you at
6 weeks
first review
3 months
settling in
1 year
the year mark
2 to 5 years
then this often, or sooner if you need us
When to come back
Years later, these signs mean book a review. They are different from the early recovery signs, and are not an emergency.
new joint pain, or pain that is increasing
swelling that does not go
the joint feeling unstable, or giving way
less movement, or the joint doing less than it used to
signs of infection: redness, warmth, or discharge
any fall or injury involving the replaced joint
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