Healing of Knee Replacement Incisions
The likelihood of healing problems afterknee replacement surgeryvaries according to different studies.
Most reports estimate the prevalence at between 1% and 11%.
This means healing complications aren’t rare.
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Until that barrier is healed, there is the potential risk of bacterial entry and infection.
This is a potentially serious complication.
For that reason, ensuring the rapid healing of incisions is critical to the success of knee replacement surgery.
It is normal for a surgical wound to have some drainage immediately following surgery.
Drainage beyond 72 hours after wound closure, however, is not considered normal.
When this happens, it should be monitored by your surgeon.
In addition, they will need to determine if the drainage shows signs of infection.
This is particularly true for people at high risk for healing complications after knee replacement surgery.
Another factor that can cause problems with wound healing is having prior surgical incisions over the knee joint.
Each incision causes a disruption to the normal blood supply to the skin tissue.
Multiple incisions can leave areas of skin without sufficient blood supply.
If that happens, thentissue necrosis(an area of dead skin tissue) can occur.
This may mean skin or soft-tissue grafts will be needed.
If the drainage is declining and there is no other sign of infection, the wound can slowly heal.
However, it will require close follow-up as changes could signal more aggressive intervention is needed.
If your wound is producing drainage, you may be able to do only limited physical therapy.
You may not be able to bend your knee beyond about 45 degrees for a few days.
This is because bending the knee increases the pressure on the tissues around the scar.
It can also can lower the oxygenation of those tissues.
Keeping the leg straight may help dry the incision.
Blood-thinning medications can also contribute to a draining wound.
This can be done with a skin graft or a more robust soft-tissue transfer.
Summary
It is common for there to be some healing problems after knee replacement surgery.
If you notice signs that your incision might not be healing correctly, contact your surgeon right away.
You may need to be admitted to the hospital for observation.
In some cases, you may need additional surgery.
A Word From Verywell
An essential part of successful knee replacement surgery is a well-healedsurgical incision.
If there are concerns with the healing of your skin, let your surgeon know immediately.
Aggressive and early treatment of skin healing problems are critical to preventing a more serious complication.
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