For patients and family helpers at home · and discharge planners in CJR-X & TEAM episodes
The first week at home after surgery
Once you walk through the front door, the hardest question for a patient or family helper is knowing what is normal healing, what needs a same-day call to the surgeon's office, and what means calling 911 right away. Use this page to check a symptom in 60 seconds and print a one-page sheet for the refrigerator.
Still at the hospital? Build your before-discharge question list first →
Step 1 · Set the recovery sheet
Choose the surgery and where you are in recovery
Step 2 · 60-second red-flag check
What are you seeing today? ( Call 911 vs. Call the surgeon now vs. Expected healing )
Check any sign you or a family helper see right now. Everything runs in this browser tab; nothing is sent or stored. Source: AAOS OrthoInfo Total Knee and Total Hip Replacement recovery guidelines (read 2026-10-23).
Tap any sign above if it appears during the day. Keep the day-and-night surgeon phone number on the refrigerator and review the six daily habits below.
Step 3 · Printable refrigerator sheet · Total knee replacement · Days 1 to 3 at home
First-week home recovery daily check
First 72 hours at home: confirm the day-and-night call number, reconcile every medicine on your written list, take frequent deep breaths to prevent partial lung collapse (atelectasis), keep the wound dry, and use a walker, crutches, or cane for every transfer.
Signs a blood clot reached the lung (pulmonary embolism):
- Sudden shortness of breath
- Sudden onset of chest pain
- Localized chest pain with coughing
Source: AAOS OrthoInfo (read 2026-10-23)
Signs of a leg blood clot (DVT) or joint infection:
- Persistent oral fever higher than 100°F or chills
- Increasing redness, tenderness, swelling, or drainage at the wound
- Increasing pain with both activity and rest (or pain not improving after a few days)
- Calf or leg pain unrelated to the incision, calf tenderness/redness, or new swelling in thigh, calf, ankle, or foot
Source: AAOS OrthoInfo (read 2026-10-23)
What AAOS OrthoInfo notes as normal in the first weeks:
- Some numbness in the skin around the incision
- Soft clicking of metal and plastic when bending or walking
- Some loss of appetite for several weeks (drink fluids; balanced diet)
- Some discomfort with activity and at night for several weeks
Source: AAOS OrthoInfo (read 2026-10-23)
Six daily habits at home (tap to mark done today)
Wound care
Keep the wound dry until sealed; check for redness or drainage
Stitches or staples running along the wound are removed several weeks after knee surgery (or approximately 2 weeks after total hip replacement; a suture beneath the skin does not require removal). Avoid soaking or getting the wound wet in water until it has thoroughly sealed and dried.
Source: AAOS OrthoInfo (read 2026-10-23)
Blood clot prevention
Take prescribed blood thinners and move your foot and ankle often
Follow your surgeon's blood clot prevention plan: blood thinning medications, support stockings, or inflatable compression boots as prescribed, plus frequent foot and ankle movement to increase blood flow in your leg muscles and decrease swelling.
Source: AAOS OrthoInfo (read 2026-10-23)
Breathing & lungs
Take frequent deep breaths (and use your spirometer if given)
Shallow breathing is common in the early post-operative period from anesthesia, pain medications, and time in bed. It can lead to partial collapse of the lungs (atelectasis) and susceptibility to pneumonia. Take frequent deep breaths throughout the day.
Source: AAOS OrthoInfo (read 2026-10-23)
Medicines & opioid safety
Keep one written medicine list and take pain medicines only as the surgeon directed
Opioids help with pain after surgery, but they are narcotics and can be addictive, so use them only as directed. Ask the surgeon's office how and when to step down as your pain improves, and call if pain has not begun to improve within a few days of surgery. This page does not tell anyone what to take.
Source: AAOS OrthoInfo & CMS Checklist 11376 (read 2026-10-23)
Fall prevention & seating
Use a stable chair (18 to 20 inches high) with two arms and a footstool; clear all cords and loose rugs
A fall in the first few weeks can damage a new joint and require further surgery. Use a stable chair with a firm seat cushion (18 to 20 inches high after a knee replacement; after a hip replacement, follow the sitting, bending and sleeping precautions your surgeon gives, usually for the first 6 weeks), a firm back, two arms, and a footstool for intermittent leg elevation. Use a cane, crutches, walker, or handrails on stairs.
Source: AAOS OrthoInfo (read 2026-10-23)
Fluids, diet & infection protection
Drink fluids, eat a balanced diet, and tell your dentist about the new joint
Some loss of appetite is common for several weeks; a balanced diet helps the wound heal and restore muscle strength. An infection can reach a new joint through the bloodstream, and AAOS OrthoInfo notes that some people with certain risk factors need antibiotics before dental work, including cleanings: tell your dentist about the joint and ask your surgeon.
Source: AAOS OrthoInfo (read 2026-10-23)
Specific notes for total knee & hip replacement
- Early recovery chair: firm seat cushion 18 to 20 inches high, firm back, two arms, and a footstool for intermittent leg elevation (AAOS OrthoInfo).
- Hip dislocation precautions: special sitting, bending, and sleeping precautions usually apply for the first 6 weeks after total hip replacement; stitches or staples are removed approximately 2 weeks after hip surgery (AAOS OrthoInfo).
- Activity and driving: most patients resume normal light activities of daily living within 3 to 6 weeks and resume driving approximately 4 to 6 weeks after surgery once off narcotics with adequate braking reaction time. More than 90% of modern total knee replacements are still functioning well 15 years after surgery (AAOS OrthoInfo).
Key numbers from AAOS OrthoInfo
Write on the printed sheet (stays on paper, never typed into this site)
Step 4 · Optional family helper check
Six quick questions before the first night at home
Primary sources (all read 2026-10-23)
- AAOS OrthoInfo: Total Knee Replacement (read 2026-10-23) — oral fever >100°F and infection signs, DVT vs. pulmonary embolism (911) signs, wound care, atelectasis/pneumonia prevention, opioid use as directed, 18 to 20 inches chair height, 3 to 6 weeks ADL and 4 to 6 weeks driving timelines, >90% 15-year implant survival.
- AAOS OrthoInfo: Total Hip Replacement (read 2026-10-23) — approximate 2 weeks stitch/staple removal, precautions when sitting, bending or sleeping usually for the first 6 weeks, telling the dentist about the new hip.
- AAOS OrthoInfo: Activities After Knee Replacement (read 2026-10-23) — graduated walking and household activity progression.
- MedlinePlus: Leaving the hospital — your discharge plan (read 2026-10-23) — written discharge instructions, dressing/drain care verification, medication reconciliation, and first follow-up scheduling.
- CMS: Your Discharge Planning Checklist (Publication 11376) (read 2026-10-23) — a care team number to call day and night, medicine list reconciliation, equipment delivery, and family caregiver task handoff.