How can you Manage Pain After your Total Knee Replacement Surgery?

What kind of Pain you will feel:        

The issues like postoperative pain, bruising and swelling are called as the normal part of the recovery process after having a knee surgery. However, there are two ways to manage this pain and help in easing up the recovery. However, you can put an end to this inflammation after the surgery with some simple tips as discussed below. Let’s check them out as under:

Immediately After the Operation

As per a group called Massachusetts General, the surgeons recommend to apply Novocaine over the knee in order to help to get rid of the pain in the first few hours of the surgery. You can even receive certain pain medication either in the form of oral medicines or via an IV (intravenous) tube after this wear off. These medications can even include a strong opioid like morphine, oxycodone and fentanyl. There are fewer chances that you would turn addicted to these drugs just because they are used for a shorter amount of time.

Medications to Manage Pain    

A majority of people are seen considering oral pain medication for a couple of days or weeks. These include the prescription-strength non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen or naproxen. Your doctor can prescribe even a stronger kind of pain reliever like oxycodone and tramadol if you find severe pain. You can need an over the counter medication in order to help in reducing the temporary pain along with removing the inflammation at the later stage. These medications can include NSAIDs and acetaminophen. You can find the physical therapists giving you a couple of massage session along with prescribing you certain exercises in order to help in reducing the inflammation. In this way you can find the pain vanishing in several weeks.

Dealing with Bruising

After the surgery you can find bruising to remain in your knee for one or two weeks of the procedure. Bruising can be called as a purplish discoloration, which indicates blood in this area. It can also cause certain additional tenderness. You can even reduce inflammation and issues like bruising by simply elevating your leg having the surgery over the pillow in your bed for around an hour or so evening afternoon or evening.

Managing Swelling        

Swelling can be called as a normal part of any healing process. You may end up experiencing certain swelling for 2-3 weeks after the surgery. You can even reduce the swelling with the help of your post-operative exercises and with the help of elevating your leg over a pillow (as discussed above) for round one or two hours. As per the Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, swelling can last for around 3-6 months after the surgery; hence it is a good idea to invest over an ice pack. The ice packs are very much effective for reducing swelling and inflammation over your knee joints and surrounding tissues. It is often recommended to use an ice pack three for around 20 minutes. Involving your physical therapist can help you a lot.

Physical Therapy             

The physical therapist are seen using TENS unit in order to stimulate the blood flow, which help in reducing the pain experienced over the knee and surrounding area. TENS is an abbreviation of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation, which is a device that delivers the electrical currents to patient’s skin and thus also reduces the nerve pain. As per a recent published study in a known journal called Pain, TENS may not be effective for every patient at such junctures, your physical therapist would design a special exercise program for you that can help you in killing the pain in your surgery area.

Conclusion: If you feel your pain is not down please visit Dr L H Hiranandani Hospital or see your own nearest professional doctors.