Retiring from work means you have more time on your hands to follow your passion. Whether it's traveling, taking up a new hobby, working in your garden, or spending quality time with your grandchildren, a strong pair of knees will make all these activities more enjoyable. If you have knee arthritis that limits your activities, now may be a good time for outpatient knee replacement.
With outpatient knee replacement, you will be discharged home on the same day as the surgery. You can expect a higher level of care and use of minimally invasive techniques to speed up the recovery. There is less risk of hospital acquired infections because of early discharge or less risk of blood clots post surgery because you have to be active to perform activities of daily living at home.
A lot of emphasis will be placed on proper preparation for the outpatient surgery. This may include doing prehab exercises that improve muscle strength to better support your new knee, making sure any medical conditions such as diabetes or heart disease are well controlled, quitting smoking, and working on improving overall health.
Although you are discharged home early after outpatient knee replacement, you will need time to fully recover. It may take a week or two before you completely wean off pain medications and start driving again. Performing your physical therapy exercises as instructed by your surgeon or physical therapist is important during this time to maximizing the range of motion and function in your knee.
You also have to prepare your home for your return after the surgery, rearranging furniture and removing loose rugs to avoid tripping, installing grab bars in the toilet and a hand railing in the stairway, and keeping frequently used items in places that are easy to reach. All this will take time and effort.
Being retired, you have the time to prepare well for your knee replacement surgery and actively participate in postsurgical recovery while at the same time taking care to not push yourself too hard to avoid failure of the implant. Most patients report a higher level satisfaction with outpatient knee surgery. To find out if you are a candidate, please call (405) 424-5426.
Dr. Jacob brings cutting edge techniques and technology to the Oklahoma City area. He has extensive training in minimally invasive, rapid recovery joint replacement as well as robotically assisted hip and knee replacement. Dr. Jacob is a pioneer in outpatient joint replacement allowing some patients to go home the same day as their procedure and recover in the comfort of their own home. The cornerstone of Dr. Jacob’s practice is to have the recovery process be easier, faster and less painful allowing his patients to get back into the game of life. Dr. Jacob is committed to bringing the highest level of orthopedic care while treating each and every patient like a family member. Providing you with patient centered care you can trust.
