Immediately afterwards, it is completely normal to feel sore. Your care team will be on hand to give you any medication you might need for pain relief.
We advise that you wear your post-surgery compression garments to help with the healing process during your recovery time.
We may recommend you wear an elastic body stocking for about six weeks.
Lower leg stockings prevent deep vein thrombosis (DVT) during the first ten days if you are unable to move around as much and need a lot of bed rest.
Usually, you will feel some discomfort during the first few weeks of recovery. Pain can be managed with medication that we will provide.
We recommend that you simply rest and relax as much as possible, avoiding exercise and generally taking it slow.
You might feel more tired than usual, but remember, this is normal and you’ll feel better as the days go by.
The amount of downtime you need will depend on the extent of your surgery. Generally, you should be able to return to work after the first week.
If you have a more physically demanding job, you’ll need three weeks or more at home for the best possible healing.
After a month, the pain, swelling and bruising will have gone down enough so you can exercise or go shopping.
You should still avoid exercising too much and heavy lifting at this stage, as your body continues to heal.
The exact time it takes you to recover from surgery will depend entirely on you.
Our enhanced pre-admission assessment will help you prepare for your surgery and know what to expect afterwards.
Your surgeon will work with other specialists to give you advice on prehabilitation. This includes things you can do before your operation for a head start on recovery.
We’ll help you recover as fully and quickly as possible. You’ll have regular follow-ups to make sure everything is as expected, and answer any questions you may have.
You can contact your care team at any time, and they’ll be happy to help.