Looking forward to an upcoming summer vacation with your new joint? While traveling, it can be easy to forget that you are still recovering, but it is crucial to follow safe practices during your travel to ensure a smooth and complete recovery.
As your new joint is healing, staying conscious of the joint and engaging in practices to encourage a return to normal is essential. Here are some great tips for traveling after joint replacement:
- Plan Ahead: Ideally, you do not want to plan a vacation immediately following your joint replacement. You want to ensure that you have time to rest and heal in the first few weeks. But thanks to modern techniques like outpatient and robotic-assisted surgery, you should be able to travel after a few weeks, depending on the trip. Dr. Ehmke recommends waiting 6 weeks for trips that will require getting through the airport and flying or prolonged car rides for several hours. Shorter trips in the car for up to a few hours can be done 2-3 weeks after surgery.
- Take Your Meds: As you heal from joint replacement, you will be prescribed pain medication for your discomfort. Don’t forget to pack your meds and take them as your surgeon recommends while on vacation. This will help you to relax comfortably throughout your entire trip.
- Utilize Assistive Devices: When traveling, excess stress can be placed on your new joint. To alleviate some of that stress, you may want to use a cane or crutches if necessary. This will help avoid overworking your joint and allow for better healing.
- Find a Travel Partner: While you are still healing from joint replacement, it is recommended to have a helper around, especially when traveling. Your travel partner will be able to help lift any luggage and assist you if any complications with your new joint arise.
- Don’t Skip PT: Physical therapy is one of the best practices for your new joint. With new at-home physical therapy programs available, doing your daily targeted exercises has never been easier. So even on vacation, there is no excuse to skip your physical therapy.
Your new joint will allow you to travel far and wide, especially if you take care of it during recovery. If you are planning an upcoming vacation, be sure to follow these tips and always consult your surgeon. Dr. Andrew Ehmke is excited to help you return to normal with robotic hip and knee replacement so that you can enjoy your summer vacation to the fullest. Reach out to him today for more guidance during your recovery!
AUTHOR: Dr. Andrew Ehmke is a board-certified and fellowship-trained joint replacement surgeon specializing in robotic-assisted and minimally invasive hip and knee replacement in Chicagoland and NW Indiana.
