Recovery guide
Knee replacement recovery timeline
Everyone heals at their own pace, and your surgeon's and therapist's plan comes first. This is what recovery typically looks like, based on guidance from major orthopaedic centers and published research.
The short version
Day of surgery to day 2
- You'll usually stand and take first steps with a walker on the day of surgery.
- Pain is controlled with a combination of medicines, often including a nerve block.
- You'll start simple exercises: tightening the thigh muscle, ankle pumps, and working on straightening and bending the knee.
- Going home: some people leave the same day, and the majority stay one night.2
Weeks 1 to 3
- Walking: with a walker, gradually increasing distance.2
- Therapy: home or outpatient physical therapy, focused on getting the knee fully straight and bending past 90 degrees.
- Swelling: normal and often worse in the evening. Ice and elevation help; avoid resting with a pillow under the knee.
- Help at home: plan on support for the first week or two.5
- Blood clot prevention: you may take a blood thinner for several weeks.6
Weeks 3 to 6
- Walking: moving from walker to cane, and most people walk without an aid by about six weeks.2
- Driving: braking reaction time typically returns to normal by about 4 weeks after a right knee replacement, and as early as 2 weeks after a left.7 Only drive once you're off strong pain medicine and your surgeon agrees.
- Daily life: most daily activities return within about three to six weeks.1
Months 2 to 3
- Therapy: usually continues for six to eight weeks, and up to three or four months.2
- Activity: low-impact activities such as cycling and golf are often possible within two to three months.2
- Work: in a review of 44 studies, about two-thirds of people were back at work at an average of about 13 weeks, rising to as many as 90% by a year.8 Desk jobs usually allow an earlier return than physical ones.
Months 4 to 12
- Strength, stamina and comfort keep improving. Some swelling and warmth can linger for months.
- Full recovery can take from 4 months to a year.4
When to call your care team
- Fever higher than 101°F.3
- Increasing redness, warmth or drainage from the incision.
- New pain, swelling or tenderness in the calf or thigh.
- A knee that is getting stiffer instead of looser in the first weeks.
Call 911 for chest pain or sudden shortness of breath.
Sources
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, OrthoInfo. Total knee replacement. orthoinfo.org/treatment/total-knee-replacement
- Hospital for Special Surgery. 6 things to know about recovery after knee replacement. hss.edu/health-library/move-better/knee-replacement-recovery
- Cleveland Clinic. Knee replacement (arthroplasty). my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/8512-knee-replacement
- MedlinePlus. Knee joint replacement. medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002974.htm
- Johns Hopkins Medicine. Knee replacement surgery. hopkinsmedicine.org
- Mayo Clinic. Knee replacement. mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/knee-replacement
- Hartman J, et al. Braking time following total knee arthroplasty: a systematic review. J Arthroplasty. 2018;33(1):284-290.e1. doi:10.1016/j.arth.2017.08.012
- Pasqualini I, et al. Return to sports and return to work after total knee arthroplasty: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JBJS Rev. 2023;11(7):e22.00250. doi:10.2106/JBJS.RVW.22.00250