After your knee replacement

That is normal for months.

A replaced knee stays warmer and puffier than the other one for three to six months, and often longer. It is usually worse in the evening and after a long walk. What is not normal is warmth with a fever, a red or leaking wound, or a knee that suddenly becomes much worse — those are in the list above.

Because you walk on a straight knee.

If the knee cannot straighten fully, the thigh has to work with every step and you limp. Bending improves steadily with the heel slides over the weeks. A knee that has stiffened bent is much harder to correct later, which is why the towel exercise on the sheet matters so much early on.

When we tell you, not when it feels fine.

Most people move from a walker to a stick and then to nothing, but the timing depends on your balance, the strength in your thigh, and what was done at the operation. Walking without support too early is how falls happen. We will tell you at your review.

Daily activities within about six weeks; the knee keeps improving for up to a year.

Most people are back to everyday activities within about six weeks. After that the knee keeps improving more slowly — less swelling, less stiffness, more confidence on stairs — for up to a year. Keep doing the exercises well after the knee feels good; that is what keeps the thigh strong.