Hospital Stay

While you are in the hospital, you will experience many different things for the first time. You will go to group therapy to work on physical and occupational therapy, and a discharge planner will begin working with you to assess your options upon discharge from the hospital.

As with any surgery, it is important to remember you will experience pain because of your surgery. Once you recover from your surgery, you will experience a decrease in pain. We do our best to decrease surgical pain while you are in the hospital by employing a variety of pain management techniques.

There are several options for care when you are ready to be discharged from the hospital. Even before your operation, you should consider what is the best plan for you:

• You will need someone to stay with you for several days after your discharge. This time will vary depending on your progress.
• Do you have transportation home? Remember that trucks, vans or low sports cars may be difficult to get into and out of.
• Can you use a walker in your home?
• How many steps are there to get into your home?
• If your bedroom is upstairs, could you stay on the first floor for a couple of weeks?
• Is the bathroom nearby?

After your surgery, the doctor and members of the joint care team will consider your level of recovery in the hospital and your rehabilitation needs. You, your doctor and other members of the team will design a discharge plan that is best for you.