What to Expect on Surgery Day
Admission, anaesthetic, 60–90 minute operation, recovery, then back to the ward.
Admission is usually a few hours before surgery. The nurses will take your observations, check your fasting status, confirm consent and prepare the operative leg. The anaesthetist sees you and the surgeon marks the correct leg with your agreement.
Surgery itself takes 60–90 minutes. You are in recovery for about an hour afterwards while the anaesthetic settles and pain is brought under control, then transferred back to the ward.
The physiotherapist usually visits within hours of you returning to the ward and helps you take your first steps. Most patients sleep well that first night — the local anaesthetic injected during surgery is still working and the worst of the discomfort is days 2–4 rather than day 1.
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