The NHS is a wonderful thing, but if you need surgery, it’s very much a case of accepting the timescales presented to you. If you’re able to consider private hip or knee surgery in Cheltenham, Gloucester or the Cotswolds, things are rather different.
Broadly speaking, you can time your operation and recovery to fit around your life. Every year, I’ll speak to patients who want to plan their knee or hip replacement for the autumn, so they don’t spend the summer in rehab.
Can any private patient delay their hip or knee surgery?
As long as the operation hasn’t become critical, yes, it’s possible to time your procedure for a point of the year when you don’t have plans. Then again, if things have reached a critical point, you probably won’t care that you might spend the summer recuperating, because the long term benefits will far outweigh any short term inconvenience.
I should add, by ‘timing’ I mean to within a few weeks rather than a specific day.
How to time your knee or hip replacement
The key is to remember it’s not just about timing the procedure. You need to include time for recovery too. So, if there’s a wedding on the horizon and you want to be able to walk your son/daughter down the aisle or enjoy a dance in the evening, you’ll want a good couple of months to reach a point of comfort with your new joint that will enable you to do those things.
As we explore in this post, if you have a holiday booked, you’ll want to leave at least six weeks before you fly short haul, and 12 weeks for long haul.
As for work, you should generally wait six weeks before driving and returning to the sort of work that won’t place big demands on your new joint. If your work is harder on the knees/hips (eg. landscape gardeners, decorators, carpet fitters or any job where you spend lots of time on your feet) 12 weeks would be more advisable.
Always ask
If you have a particular reason why you need your procedure sooner or later, always mention it. We can’t guarantee a hospital will be able to meet your wishes down to the precise day or week, but that will at least give you the opportunity to decide whether to have the procedure before or after the event.
To explore your hip and knee replacement options, please get in touch or call 01242 246549
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