What should you know about knee surgery swelling?

Surgery temporarily irritates tissues and may leave blood or other fluid around the knee. Swelling can make bending difficult and may increase after standing or physiotherapy. The pattern matters: gradual improvement is reassuring, while a knee that becomes increasingly tight, hot, or painful deserves assessment.

Your clinician may examine the incision, calf, circulation, range of motion, and joint fluid. Other causes of knee swelling include an ACL tear, meniscus tear, bursitis, gout, osteoarthritis, or a Baker's cyst; surgery timing and examination help separate these possibilities.

Follow the discharge plan for walking, exercises, wound care, and prescribed medicines. Rest with the leg supported when swelling builds, use a cold pack only as instructed, and avoid placing ice directly on skin. Keep dressings dry and do not increase activity simply because pain has eased.

Record whether the swelling changes overnight, after exercise, or with elevation. Do not drain the knee yourself. If fluid remains troublesome, a clinician may discuss options such as joint aspiration after checking that it is appropriate.

Contact the surgical team promptly for spreading redness, drainage, fever, chills, a sudden increase in swelling, pain that is not controlled, or inability to follow the prescribed movement plan. Seek emergency help for chest pain, sudden breathlessness, fainting, or a foot that becomes pale, blue, cold, numb, or weak.

Ask: Is this amount and pattern of swelling expected for my operation? Which exercises or positions should I change? How should I protect the incision? What symptoms mean I should call the surgical team immediately?