⚤ Friendly general guidance. Your surgical team’s pre-operative instructions always take priority. If in doubt: call and ask before your procedure.
Preparing for Knee Replacement Surgery
Knee replacement is major surgery with a significant recovery period. Good preparation before the operation directly improves outcomes. Patients who complete pre-operative physiotherapy (prehab), prepare their home properly, and understand what to expect recover faster and with fewer complications.
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Based on guidance from NHS, NICE, AAOS & healthdirect
Last reviewed: July 2026 · Free to use · No data collected
Preparing Your Body Before Preparing for Knee Replacement Surgery
- Prehab (pre-operative physiotherapy) significantly improves recovery after knee replacement: stronger muscles going in means faster rehabilitation coming out
- Ask your GP or surgeon for a physiotherapy referral 4–6 weeks before surgery, focus on quadriceps strengthening, range of motion, and walking
- Maintain a healthy weight if possible: every kilogram matters for joint loading and anaesthetic risk
- Continue gentle walking. Do not rest completely before surgery
💊Medications to stop and when
- Blood thinners (warfarin, apixaban, rivaroxaban, clopidogrel): stop as specifically instructed: usually 5–7 days before
- Aspirin: stop 7 days before unless on cardiac advice to continue, confirm with your surgeon
- NSAIDs (ibuprofen, naproxen): stop 7 days before: increase bleeding risk
- Continue: blood pressure, heart, thyroid, and epilepsy medications on the morning of surgery with a small sip of water
- Fasting: nothing to eat for 6 hours. Clear fluids until 2 hours before. Follow your anaesthetist’s specific instructions.
📚 Based on guidance from:
🧼Skin preparation: important for infection prevention
- Shower with antibacterial soap (chlorhexidine) the night before and morning of surgery: most hospitals provide this or instruct you to buy it
- Do not shave the surgical area yourself: micro-cuts increase infection risk
- No moisturiser, oils, or perfume on the leg on the day of surgery
- Keep the skin intact, report any cuts, blisters, or skin infections to your surgeon before the operation
📚 Based on guidance from:
🏠Home preparation checklist
Raise your chair, toilet, and bed to a height you can get up from without bending the knee excessivelyRaised toilet seats and chair raisers are available from pharmacies and occupational therapy
Remove trip hazards: loose rugs, cables, clutter on the floorYou will be on crutches: any obstacle is a fall risk
Move essentials to waist height: no bending or reaching upLower shelves and high cupboards are inaccessible on crutches
Arrange crutches and any mobility aids before admissionAsk the hospital occupational therapist, they can arrange these
Arrange a driver and a carer for the first 2 weeksYou cannot drive after knee replacement for 4–6 weeks minimum
Stock easy foods, medications, and suppliesParacetamol, prescribed medications, laxatives, easy-to-prepare meals
Based on AAOS Total Knee Arthroplasty guidelines, NICE NG157, and NHS preparation guidance.
Track your wound healing
Take a photo of your wound each day. The ghost overlay lines up your previous photo so you can spot changes. Drag the reveal slider to compare before and after. Bring the photos to your next appointment. If something looks off, try our wound symptom checker.
100% private. Photos stay on your device. Nothing uploaded.
📷 Open wound photo journal →Get these ready before knee surgery
Having these set up at home before you go to hospital means a smoother first week.
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Cold therapy wraps are the most effective way to manage post-op knee swelling. Have one in the freezer ready for when you get home. Cold therapy wrap →
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You will need compression stockings from day one. Having a spare pair means you can wash and rotate. Compression stockings →
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A leg elevation wedge lets you sleep with the knee elevated above heart level — essential for controlling that first-week swelling. Leg elevation wedge →
Postopcare.info may earn a small commission from Amazon at no cost to you. These are things patients have told us genuinely helped their recovery, nothing else.
🇺🇸 US patients: medical-grade bathroom safety and mobility equipment available from American Medical Rentals.
Your recovery toolkit
Free interactive tools to track your recovery day by day. Everything stays on your device — nothing is uploaded or shared.
Daily dashboardMeds, vitals & wound photos in one view
Discharge packTurn discharge notes into a day-one plan
Last-dose tracker“When can I take the next one?”
Vitals trackerTemperature, heart rate, BP & oxygen
Wound photo journalSame angle every day — spot changes early
Pain trackerSpot the trend, share it with your GP
These tools support — never replace — the advice of your surgical team. If something feels wrong, contact your doctor or emergency services.