After bone or joint surgery

Call the clinic the same day if

Caring for the wound

• Keep the dressing clean and dry, and follow the instructions you were given for changing it.
• Wash your hands before touching the wound or the dressing.
• Do not soak the wound in a bath, pool or the sea until it has healed and you have been told it is safe.
• Ask at your review when stitches or clips come out, or whether they dissolve.
• Some bruising and swelling is normal at first. Swelling that keeps growing, or redness that spreads, is not.

Moving and physiotherapy

Moving early helps blood flow, healing and strength. Get up and move as you have been shown, little and often. Simple ankle and foot movements while sitting or lying help keep blood moving in the legs.

Physiotherapy is part of the treatment, not an extra. Do the exercises you are given every day, even when they feel slow. If an exercise causes sharp pain, stop and ask at your next session.

Use crutches, a frame or a sling for as long as you have been told. Putting weight on a limb too early can harm the repair.

Pain and medicines

• Take pain relief as prescribed, before the pain gets bad, especially before exercises.
• If you were given blood-thinning injections or tablets, or stockings, use them for as long as you were told.
• Keep taking any antibiotics to the end of the course.
• Tell the clinic if a medicine upsets you or the pain gets worse instead of better.

Driving, flying, work and sport

When you can drive, fly, return to work or play sport depends on the operation, the side, and how you are healing. Ask at your review. Do not drive while you are taking strong painkillers or cannot control the car safely.