How Much Time will I have to be Off Work for Knee Replacement Surgery?

After knee replacement surgery, many patients are eager to know when they can return to work and resume normal activities. While the desire for speedy recovery among patients is almost universal, the value of recovery time itself is less understood and appreciated. If recovery is uncomplicated for a patient, patients may return at six weeks to the office or similar light work. However, returning to work should be phased with three half-days in the first week, two full days in the second week, five half-days in the third week, and week four full-time.

It takes at least three months to recover from knee replacement surgery, but most likely six months. It can take about eight to ten months for a complete recovery. The degree of rehabilitation improvement often depends on your body’s strength before surgery, your body weight, and your pain management ability. Other variables factoring into recovery time include the surgery type and the patient’s age.Recognize physical therapy as your number one goal if you want to return to work as soon as possible. The exercises that a post-op specialist will give you will help lay the foundation for a successful and rapid recovery. You’re still going to find yourself with plenty of downtime, but giving your body the rest it needs is important. Most patients can resume their normal day-to-day activities within a few weeks.

Driving is often a question of knee replacement surgery among patients. Because each individual is going to recover at a different rate, the exact time is difficult to determine before you can use a vehicle. You must have recovered your normal strength and reflexes to drive again, and you can’t be on drugs or other pain medications anymore. A good thumb rule is to ask your doctor when to drive. Around six weeks, most doctors recommend.Depending on your job requirements, your ability to return to work. For three to six months, patients with physically demanding jobs will often be out of work. Patients holding desk jobs or management positions may return to work within six weeks, but this is the minimum. Returning to work too soon will hamper long-term recovery. Your pain needs to be manageable and independently you should be able to get around. Most patients can return to work within one to two months under these criteria.