03/26/2021
PT/patient convo 7-10 days post op:
Patients: “Is all this swelling and bruising normal?!?!”
PT’s: “Yes. Totally normal. You just got your knee (or hip) amputated, hammered, drilled, sawed, cut, cauterized, sewn, and strained. Basically it’s like getting hit by a bus.”
Patients: “It’s not a blood clot?”
PT’s: “Nope. You can’t see blood clots.”
Patients: “This bruising didn’t happen last time I had surgery.”
PT’s: “Sometimes there’s no bruising. It just depends on the surgery, what you ate before, what you’re eating after, what blood thinners, how long the drain was in, how much you’re walking/standing on it, how much you’re icing and elevating.”
Ice and elevate the knee WAYYYYY above the heart often throughout the day, especially after any activity when you’re standing for more than 10 minutes. Gravity will assist with removing the swelling and bruising faster if you elevate as high as tolerable.
Don’t forget to ice the back of knee, the thigh, and the calf! An awesome 360 degree ice pack, one like A to P Total Knee Wraps, can help reduce the pain associated with the swelling and bruising.
**Bruising is a natural consequence after a TKA or THA. Blood clots, Deep Vein Thromboses (DVT’s) are not normal but they are a risk and a small percentage of folks are at increased risk.
DVT signs and symptoms are different than bruising. A DVT is a MEDICAL EMERGENCY and could cause sudden death. Signs and symptoms include:
- [ ] Unrelenting pain in the middle and deep calf,
- [ ] increased swelling in the calf and ankle,
- [ ] increased LE temp,
- [ ] skin is hard
- [ ] If the clot gets dislodged and migrates to the lung, it’s called a pulmonary embolism (PE) and you could develop shortness of breath with little activity (walking to the bathroom),
- [ ] and pain in the torso.
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