Pain relief

Before you are discharged from hospital you will spend time with a physiotherapist and when your pain is under control you can go home.  It is normal to have some pain, swelling and bruising to your thigh, knee and leg after your operation.

Good pain relief is important to ensure adequate range of movement and prevent stiffness, it is important that you feel comfortable enough to breathe deeply, cough and move around. 

Before you come to hospital we recommend you have some simple pain relief medication at home such as paracetamol so that you don’t need to worry about getting the shops for the first few days after your operation.

After the operation it is normal to experience swelling around the operated knee.  To help reduce swelling your physiotherapist will provide you with an ice pack that can be worn as a cuff around your knee, this is called a Cryocuff.  Please watch this video about how to wear and use your cryocuff: