Recover more quickly

Eat healthily

Eating a healthy diet will help to ensure that your body has all the nutrients it needs to heal. You also need plenty of calories, so now is not the time to try to lose weight! Eat regular meals and keep up your sugar and carbohydrate intake.

Stop smoking

By not smoking - even if it’s just for the time that you’re recovering - you immediately start to improve your circulation and your breathing - not to mention a whole list of other benefits to the heart and lungs.

Family and friends

Family and friends can give you two important things:

• Practical help with the tasks you might be temporarily unable to do while you recover - such as driving, the weekly shop, or lifting heavier items. However it is entirely possible to do this on your own provided you plan ahead with regard to household requirements such as food.
• Keeping your spirits up - the novelty soon wears off being home alone all day, and it’s easy to feel isolated by this. Having company can help you to worry less. It’s important not to let anxiety set in, as it can become a problem in itself which stands in the way of you getting back to your normal routine.

Keep a routine

Get up at your normal time in the morning, get dressed, move about the house. If you get tired, you can rest later.

Build up gradually

Have a go at doing some of the things you’d normally do, but build up gradually. Some suggestions are included in the recovery tracker. Obviously, everyone recovers at a different speed, so not all of the suggestions will be suitable for everybody.

When you’re building up your activities, you may feel more tired than normal. If so, stop, and rest until your strength returns. A certain amount of pain in your new knee is quite normal. If you are worried contact your surgeon’s team.