Whether or not you have seen many doctors, you will likely know more about your symptoms and your health history than anyone else. Your health care providers will depend on you for that information.
Tell your doctor(s) about:
Always let your provider know about any cold, flu, fever, herpes breakout, or other illness you may have before your surgery.
Have any needed or planned dental work done before the knee-replacement surgery. After your replacement:
Before your surgery, you will need to have a history and physical exam.
Some hospitals will also have you visit with a nurse at the hospital before surgery.
Bring a list of medicines you are taking with you every time you see a provider.
One week before surgery you may be asked to stop taking drugs that make it harder for your blood to clot. These include aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Naprosyn, Aleve), and other blood thinner drugs such as warfarin (Coumadin), clopidogrel (Plavix), and rivaroxaban (Xarelto).
Ask your doctor which drugs you should still take on the day of your surgery.
If you have diabetes, heart disease, or other medical problems, your surgeon will ask you to see the doctor who treats you for these conditions. You can reduce your risk of problems during and after surgery by having your diabetes and other medical problems under control before surgery.
If you smoke, you need to stop smoking before your knee surgery. Ask your provider for help. Smoking will slow down wound and bone healing. Focus on stopping now to achieve a safer and more complete recovery from your surgery.
You may have long-term medical problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, lung problems, and skin conditions. Make sure these problems are stable and let all of your providers know about your upcoming surgery. They may suggest you change your medicine before you have surgery.
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons clinical practice guideline on treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee. 2nd ed. Rosemont (IL): American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS); 2013 May 18.
Bannuru RR, Schmid CH, Kent DM, Vaysbrot EE, Wong JB, McAlindon TE. Comparative effectiveness of pharmacologic interventions for knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Ann Intern Med. 2015;162(1):46-54. PMID: 25560713 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25560713.
Bennell KL, Buchbinder R, Hinman RS. Physical therapies in the management of osteoarthritis: current state of the evidence. Curr Opin Rheumatol. 2015;27(3):304-311. PMID: 25775185 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25775185.
Crenshaw AH. Soft tissue procedures and corrective osteotomies about the knee. In: Azar FM, Beatty JH, Canale ST, eds. Campbell's Operative Orthopaedics. 13th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2017:chap 9.
Duivenvoorden T, Brouwer RW, van Raaij TM, Verhagen AP, Verhaar JA, Bierma-Zeinstra SM. Braces and orthoses for treating osteoarthritis of the knee. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015;3:CD004020. PMID: 25773267 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25773267.
Fransen M, Agaliotis M, Nairn L, et al; LEGS study collaborative group. Glucosamine and chondroitin for knee osteoarthritis: a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial evaluating single and combination regimens. AnnRheum Dis. 2015;74(5):851-8. PMID: 24395557 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24395557.
Groen VA, van de Graaf VA, Scholtes VA, Sprague S, van Wagensveld BA, Poolman RW. Effects of bariatric surgery for knee complaints in (morbidly) obese adult patients: a systematic review. Obes Rev. 2015;16(2):161-170. PMID: 25487972 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25487972.
Hochberg MC, Altman RD, April KT, et al. American College of Rheumatology 2012 recommendations for the use of nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic therapies in osteoarthritis of the hand, hip, and knee. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2012;64(4):465-474. PMID: 22563589 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22563589.
Lieberman JR, Engstrom SM, Solovyova O, Au C, Grady JJ. Is intra-articular hyaluronic acid effective in treating osteoarthritis of the hip joint? J Arthroplasty. 2015;30(3):507-511. PMID: 25542833 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25542833.
Malagelada F, Vega J, Golano P, Beynnon B, Ertem F. Knee anatomy and biomechanics of the knee. In: Miller MD, Thompson SR, eds. DeLee and Drez’s Orthopaedic Sports Medicine. 4th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2015:chap 91.
Mascioli AA. Arthrodesis the knee. In: Azar FM, Beatty JH, Canale ST, eds. Campbell's Operative Orthopaedics. 13th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2017:chap 8.
Mihalko WM. Arthroplasty of the knee. In: Azar FM, Beatty JH, Canale ST, eds. Campbell's Operative Orthopaedics. 13th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2017:chap 7.
Moyer RF, Birmingham TB, Bryant DM, Giffin JR, Marriott KA, Leitch KM. Valgus bracing for knee osteoarthritis: a meta-analysis of randomized trials. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2015;67(4):493-501. PMID: 25201520 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25201520.
Paluska SA. Knee braces. In: Pfenninger JL, Fowler GC, eds. Pfenninger and Fowler's Procedures for Primary Care. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Mosby; 2011:chap 193.
Percope de Andrade MA, Campos TV, Abreu-E-Silva GM. Supplementary methods in the nonsurgical treatment of osteoarthritis. Arthroscopy. 2015;31(4):785-792. PMID: 25633815 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25633815.
Silverwood V, Blagojevic-Bucknall M, Jinks C, Jordan JL, Protheroe J, Jordan KP. Current evidence on risk factors for knee osteoarthritis in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2015;23(4):507-515. PMID: 25447976 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25447976.
The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. No warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, is made as to the accuracy, reliability, timeliness, or correctness of any translations made by a third-party service of the information provided herein into any other language. © 1997- A.D.A.M., a business unit of Ebix, Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.