Following joint replacement surgery, you are prescribed pain medication that you take while in the hospital but more importantly once you are discharged home as well. More importantly, because many patients tend to try to ween themselves off the medication as soon as possible to prevent side effects such as dizziness, lethargy, and constipation they suffer more than they have to. Getting off the pain medication as soon as you can is not a bad idea however, taking yourself off too quick however leads to a slower recovery rate and poor rehabilitation efforts due to chronic pain. Not being able to manage your pain also leads to poor sleep quality which affects your rehabilitation schedule as well.
There will be times where you the patient, will get conflicting information from healthcare personnel. Nursing for instance will come in and tell you to get off the medication as soon as you can while your physical therapist comes in and tells you to take your medication as prescribed. This can lead to confusion and not being sure really what to do.
Some of my patients get concerned that they will become addicted to the medication. Understand first of all that by taking the medication as instructed, you allow yourself to start gaining more mobility in your knee. Try your rehabilitation without taking the medication and you get at best mixed results. If you have had a problem with alcohol or drugs in the past advise your surgeon and adjustments can be made.
You will find in approximately two weeks you can begin to possibly back down on your medication somewhat. Of course this timetable is general and I have found some patients having to take medication longer and others reducing their medication. The bottom line is whatever course they take will work providing it does not affect their rehab efforts and the pain is reported as minimal with little side effects.
Another avenue you can take is to cut down on your medication if the side effects are too much such as cutting the medication in half. This cuts down on the side effects yet takes the edge off and makes your exercises more tolerable.
As pain continues to subside, you can then move over to acetaminophen or Tylenol if you like. Discuss this with your healthcare providers and surgeon if you are not sure what you can take or have adverse effects from these types of medication.
Taking your pain medication as instructed once you are discharged from the hospital will keep you more comfortable, allow you to stay compliant with your home exercise program and, allow your body to begin the healing process as soon as possible.
Richard Haynes PTA
Total Joint Fitness LLC
Punta Gorda, Florida.
Richard Haynes is a Physical Therapist Assistant working in the home health sector in Punta Gorda Florida, with specialization in orthopedic injuries, joint replacement surgical rehabilitation, and geriatric strengthening. Richard's website is designed for the knee or hip replacement patient who is looking for information or consulting regarding rehabilitation or post rehabilitation fitness advice and information.
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