After keyhole surgery, ooze through the bandages is normal as the salt-water solution used to distend your joint during surgery leaks out. We apply padded dressings to absorb this fluid. These dressings can be changed before you go home. You can remove the padded dressings two days after your surgery, but please leave your waterproof dressings on the skin for 10 days after surgery. If the discharge doesn’t settle down, or there is frank bleeding, please contact us. You can shower from four days after keyhole surgery as long as your waterproof dressings are in place.
For open surgery, you will have a sticky dressing over your wound. Please leave your wound covered with the sticky dressing for 2 weeks. Open surgical wounds should be kept dry for two weeks. Sometimes we ask you to keep your bulky bandages on until two weeks.
Stitches – sutures normally need either trimming or removal 14 days after your operation. We normally do this for you at your follow up visit. If you cannot see us at this time, please organise for suture removal or trimming with your GP practice nurse
Please begin your rehabilitation program as soon as possible. This will hasten your recovery, reduce swelling and keep ligaments and cartilage in good condition. If restrictions have been given to you (e.g. no outward rotation of your arm) they are to protect your reconstructed tissues, so please take note of them and follow the guidance.
Rest is important after surgery, as the body endures extra stress and needs to recover. While it is important to get up and about as soon as possible, please make sure you get plenty of sleep and take at least a few days off work.
Smoking – Smoking significantly increases the risk of complications after surgery. It also impairs healing and has been shown to delay the healing of broken bones by 50%. If possible, refrain from smoking completely after your operation. If that is not possible, E-cigarettes are less toxic than normal cigarettes, but any Nicotine is harmful to repairing tissues.
Infection – The risk of infection is very low after keyhole surgery (much less than 1% risk) and there is approximately a 1 in 100 chance after open surgery. You will be given antibiotics at the time of surgery where this is deemed appropriate. You will not normally require antibiotics post-operatively. Please contact us if any of the following occur after surgery, as they may be signs of infection: Your pain is increasing beyond day four after surgery, rather than decreasing ; your pain is so severe that it cannot be controlled by pain-killers; you feel unwell or feverish or you notice increased swelling, redness or fluid leakage around the surgery site beyond three days after surgery