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Weight Maintenance Excess weight makes your surgery more difficult and places you at an increased risk of complications. Speak to your primary physician about weight loss programs.
Nutrition Eating as healthy as possible, with the right amount of fruits, vegetables, protein, whole grains, and lowfat dairy, is important for surgery. Iron is important, too. Good sources of iron include lean red meat, fortified cereals, and leafy green vegetables.
Diabetes If you have diabetes, it is important that your blood sugar is under control. Check your blood sugar daily. Also ask your doctor about having an A1C test, if you haven’t had one recently. This test measures your average glucose level over the previous few months.
Smoking Smoking increases your risk of complications. Consider stopping now. If you would like help quitting, you can contact the California Smokers Helpline at 1-800-NO-BUTTS.
Dental Care Bacteria that cause infections in the teeth or gums can travel through the bloodstream and settle in your new joint, so you should have a dental exam before surgery. You should also wait at least six months after surgery before having any dental procedures done, including cleaning. Speak to your surgeon and dentist about preventive antibiotic treatment before any procedure.
Alcohol Alcohol may interfere with anesthesia and pain medications. Don’t consume alcohol within one week of surgery.
Signs of Infection If you develop a fever, infection, skin rash, cut, bite, or openings in your skin prior to surgery, contact your surgeon immediately.
Blood Clots Hip and knee surgery increase your risk of developing blood clots. Tell your surgeon if you have a history of blood clots. Also let your surgeon know if you smoke, use birth control pills, or have any type of cancer.
Use of NSAIDs Stop using anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) 10 to 14 days prior to your surgery. These increase your risk of bleeding. Examples of NSAIDs are aspirin, Ecotrin, Advil, Motrin, ibuprofen, Aleve, and Naprosyn. You may continue to take medications that contain acetaminophen as ordered by your doctor. These include Tylenol, Vicodin, Norco, and Percocet.
Blood Thinners If you are currently taking blood thinners (anticoagulants), consult your physician about how far in advance of your surgery you should stop taking them. Anticoagulants include Coumadin, Pradaxa, Plavix, Ticlid, and others.
Your leg muscles help support your knees and hips. Making them strong aids recovery. The exercises on these pages strengthen your muscles. They also increase range of motion and flexibility. Do each of these 10 times with each leg, twice a day until your surgery.
Ankle Pumps 1. Bend ankles to move foot up and down, alternating feet.
Quad Sets 1. Lie on your back with your legs extended. 2. Tighten the muscles in the front of your thighs (the quadriceps). 3. Keep them tight for five seconds, then relax.
Hamstring Sets 1. Lie on your back. 2. Keep one leg straight, and bend the other to a height of about six inches. 3. Tighten the bent leg by digging down and back with the heel. 4. Hold for five seconds, then relax. 5. Repeat with the other leg.
Gluteal Sets 1. Lie on your back. 2. Squeeze your buttocks together as tightly as possible. 3. Hold for five seconds, then relax.
Heel Slides 1. Lie on your back. 2. Bend your knee. 3. Slide your heel up toward your buttocks. Go as far as you can and hold for five seconds. 4. Then slide your heel back down until your leg is straight. 5. Repeat with the other leg.
Short Arc Quads 1. Lie on your back with a rolled towel under your knee. 2. Keeping your thigh on the towel, straighten your knee to lift your foot off the bed. 3. Hold for three seconds, then slowly lower your foot. 4. Repeat with the other leg.
Straight Leg Raises 1. Lie in bed. Bend one leg. Keep your other leg straight on the bed. 2. Tighten your thigh muscle and lift your straight leg as high as you can, but not higher than 12 inches. Hold for a few seconds. Slowly lower the leg. 3. Repeat with the other leg.
Knee Extension/Flexion: 1. Sit in a chair with both feet flat on the floor. 2. Slowly straighten your one leg as much as you can. Hold for five seconds. 3. Then slowly bend your leg under the chair, bringing it back as far as you can. Hold for 10 to 20 seconds. Return your leg to the starting point. 4. Repeat with the other leg.
These exercises help build upper body strength. This will make using a walker or crutches easier on you.
Seated Push-Ups 1. Sit in a sturdy chair with armrests. 2. With palms flat on the armrests, press down to lift your buttocks from the chair. Hold for a few seconds. 3. Bend your elbows to slowly ease back down.
Arm Curls 1. Sit in a chair, with your back straight. With a dumbbell in each hand, keep your arms at your sides. Your palms should face forward. 2. Keeping your elbows close to your sides, curl the dumbbells up toward your shoulders. 3. Slowly, bring the weights back down.
NOTE: Use small bottles of water or cans of food if you don’t own weights.
This checklist will help you prepare for your total joint surgery. Your surgeon and/or primary physician will decide which diagnostic tests you should have.
Donating Your Own Blood If your surgeon advises you to donate blood for yourself, you should schedule an appointment with the blood bank three to four weeks prior to your surgery date. If you are donating more than one unit of blood, wait about one week between donations. The phone number for the Upland Donation Center is 909.920.0625.
Community Blood Supply The blood bank keeps an available supply of blood donated by community volunteers. New methods for screening donors and testing blood mean that blood is safer than it has ever been.
Directed Donation If you are unable to donate your blood, you may have a friend or family member donate for you. Blood that is compatible will be set aside for your surgery. The processing and testing takes approximately seven days.
Several Days Before Surgery All of these tips will help you be better prepared for surgery. They will also make returning home easier.
The Day Before Surgery Follow these instructions on the day before surgery. They’ll help to ensure that everything goes smoothly.
On the day before surgery you will receive a call from the hospital. You’ll be told the time that you are scheduled to arrive. It is important that you arrive on time. This allows the nurses and other staff to complete the necessary preparations for your surgery. Here are some DOs and DON’Ts for the day of your surgery.
