Knee Surgery Side Effects

People get knee surgery for many different reasons. Some have to go under the knife because of old sports injuries, while others have to get surgery to repair the simple wear and tear that comes with having an active lifestyle. Regardless of the reasons for the procedure, there are certain side effects that accompany a knee surgery.

Grogginess

• Depending on the kind of anesthetic used during the procedure, people coming off of knee surgery can experience grogginess or general sluggishness for anywhere between a few hours and a couple of days.

Joint Pain

• While not all knee operations will leave the patient in pain, certain procedures will leave the individual with knee pain for upwards of several weeks after the operation.

Stiffness

• It will be up to several weeks after the operation before you get full movement in your knee once more. However, depending on the operation, you may never get 100% movement in your knee.

Nausea

• While rare, certain anesthetics will cause feelings of nausea in patients. These effects usually do not last long.

Staph Infection

• In this age of medical vaccines and sterilization, the risk of developing a staph infection after surgery is rare. However, because the wound is still open for the duration of the operation, the risk still exists.