General instructions before you have surgery. You may print this page for your use.
Pre-Operative
- As soon as your surgery has been scheduled, you will receive a personal health history questionnaire through your MyChart account. You can access your MyChart account at orthovirginia.com/mychart. If you have any questions, please call the pre-op nurse at 703-385-3985, Monday – Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
- Pre-operative testing (Labwork, EKG, medical clearance) must be completed within 30 days prior to your scheduled surgery and the results must be received by the surgery center no later then 72 hours prior to your scheduled surgery.
- Please FAX your pre-op test results to the Surgery Center Pre-Op Department at 703-810-5436.
- You will NOT be permitted to drive after your surgery. You must have a responsible adult accompany you during your entire visit at the surgery center and he/she must drive you home after you have been discharged. Someone MUST be available to stay with you for the first 24 hours after discharge.
- If you are under 18 years of age, a parent or legal guardian MUST accompany you and he/she will not be allowed to leave the surgery center while you are under our care.
- Do NOT take aspirin or anti-inflammatory drugs (i.e. Motrin, Aleve, Advil) 2 weeks prior to surgery and 2 weeks after surgery, unless otherwise instructed by your physician.
24 Hours Before Surgery
- Do NOT eat or drink after midnight prior to surgery – this includes candy, lozenges, mints and gum.
- Do NOT smoke for at least 24 hours prior to surgery. It is best to avoid smoking 1 week prior to surgery and 2 weeks following surgery.
- A staff member will call you the day before your surgery to confirm your assigned arrival time to the surgery center.
If you have not received a confirmation call by 3:00 PM on the day prior to your surgery, please contact the appropriate surgery center at the telephone number listed at the top of this page.
Morning of Surgery
- Take all medications as prescribed with only a SIP of water (unless otherwise instructed).
- Bathe as usual. Avoid heavy lotions or moisturizers. You may brush your teeth.
- Do NOT wear make-up, body piercings, jewelry, or hair spray. Leave all valuables at home. OrthoVirginia will not be held responsible for any valuables that you bring to the surgery center on the day of your surgery.
- Wear comfortable clothing, elastic waist shorts (no zipper), sports bra, and shoes that are easy to remove. For shoulder and arm surgery patients, bring an XL button-down shirt to go over your sling.
- Bring completed registration paperwork, driver’s license, insurance cards, medication list and co-pay.
You will receive customized post-op instructions after your surgery. These general instructions are given as a reference.
Congratulations! You have just completed the surgical phase and entered the recovery/ rehabilitation phase of your operative experience. In order to achieve the best possible result, active patient participation is extremely important during this period of time. The following instructions are designed to help you achieve the best possible outcome following your surgery.
ACTIVITY: Your weight bearing status will be told to you at your appointment.
Crutches may be used to assist ambulation during the immediate post-operative period.
DRESSING: You will have a large water-proof dressing covering your surgical sites when you are discharged from the hospital. You may shower with this dressing in place. A small amount of bloody drainage on the dressing is not unusual. You may remove your dressing on the third day following your surgery; do not remove the steri-strips directly covering your incisions. Once you have removed your dressing, you may cover your incisions with Band-aids.
BATHING/SHOWERING: You may get your surgical incisions wet once your dressing has been removed on the third day following your surgery. You may shower and gently wash your incisions with soap and water; do not soak in a bath tub, hot tub, or pool as this may increase your chance of post-operative infection.
COLD THERAPY UNIT/ICE: Ice should be applied to the outside of your dressing frequently during the first 48 hours after surgery, and during the first week following surgery. After the first week, you may consider ice after rehabilitation sessions or when swelling occurs. Do not apply ice directly to the skin.
EXERCISE: You may begin the following home exercises the day after surgery. These should be performed several times per day when you are not sleeping.
- Hamstring sets: push heel into bed for count of 10.
- Heel slides: sit on a firm surface with your leg straight in front of you. Slowly slide the heel of you operative leg toward your buttock by pulling your knee to your chest when you slide.
- Prone lying: lay on your stomach for a combined total of two hours per day, divided into multiple sessions. This will help stretch the front portion of your hip joint.
You may also utilize a stationary bike with no resistance to encourage early motion in your hip joint. Begin with small sessions of approximately 10 minutes at a time twice daily.
MEDICATIONS: Your post-operative regimen consists of several medications.
For pain, you may take the medications told to you at your appointment.
You should resume taking your normally prescribed medications unless otherwise directed. In addition, you have been prescribed medications told to you at your appointment.
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS: Please contact my office for further instruction if you develop fevers greater than 101.5 degrees Fahrenheit, persistent drainage from your surgical incisions, intractable pain, or persistent numbness/tingling in your leg.
FOLLOW-UP APPOINTMENT: You will receive information on when and where your post-operative appointment is scheduled.
If you need to verify or change your post-op appointment, please call 703-277-2663.
You may schedule physical therapy to begin approximately one week following your surgery.
Please feel free to contact my office at anytime if you have any questions or concerns regarding your post-operative course.
You will receive customized post-op instructions after your surgery. These general instructions are given as a reference.
Rest, Ice, and Elevation
Elevate your knee to help reduce pain and swelling for 24 hours. Apply ice for 6 hours. Keep the dressing and incisions dry at all times. Small amounts of drainage on the dressing are normal and may be reinforced with a 4×4 gauze and Ace wrap. You may bend your knee as much as the dressing allows.
Crutches
Use cane or crutches for security and comfort as needed. Discard them as soon as possible unless otherwise specified by your doctor. You will be told if weight bearing is allowed as tolerated with pain and swelling are your activity guides.
Exercises
Begin exercises as soon as possible. 10 sets every hour up to 100 per day.
- Quad Sets: Straighten your knee, tense the quad muscle, hold for 5 seconds, then relax for 5 seconds.
- Straight Leg Raises: Tightening your thigh muscle and lift your leg approximately 24 inches, hold for 5 seconds. Then slowly lower your leg keeping your leg straight and thigh muscle tight.
- Ankle Pumps: Push your ankle up and down to promote blood flow.
No sports, running, excessive stair climbing, squatting, or jumping. If your job requires little physical activity, you may return to work in two to three days. If your job requires considerable standing, lifting, walking or climbing, discuss your return to work date with the surgeon.
Medication
You will be told the medication(s) to take, including how much and how often.
Pain Medication Tips
- Do not drive while taking pain medications.
- Do not drink alcoholic beverages while taking pain medications.
- Pain medication should be taken with food as this will help prevent any stomach upset.
- Often pain medications will cause constipation. Eat high fiber foods and increase your fluid intake if possible.
- To alleviate constipation, purchase a stool softener at any pharmacy and follow the recommended directions on the bottle.
Dressing/Showering
Remove the dressing 48 hours after surgery. Clean the extremity with rubbing alcohol to remove the surgical prep solution. You may shower at this point, no baths, hot tubs, or swimming. Prior to showering, cover the knee with plastic wrap to keep the knee dry. If the knee gets wet, dry immediately. After the shower cover the incisions with band-aids and re-apply ace wrap. Change the band-aids daily.
Questions/Concerns
Your surgeon should be contacted by calling 703-810-5215 Option 3 or 703-810-5213 Option 3 24 hours a day for any of the following symptoms:
- Fever greater than 101.5 degrees F.
- Redness or swelling in the calf that doesn’t resolve overnight.
- Numbness, loss of good color or coolness in the foot.
- Severe pain unresponsive to narcotic medication.
- Excessive bleeding or vomiting.
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath – CALL 911
Follow-Up
You will receive information on when and where your post-operative appointment is scheduled.
If you need to verify or change your post-op appointment, please call 703-277-2663.
You will receive customized post-op instructions after your surgery. These general instructions are given as a reference.
Rest, Ice, and Elevation
Remain generally at rest. Elevate and apply ice to area for the first 48 hours. Dressings must be kept dry.
Crutches
Use cane or crutches for security and comfort as needed. Discard them as soon as possible unless otherwise specified by your doctor. You will be told if weight-bearing is allowed as tolerated with pain and swelling are your activity guides.
Medications
You will be told the medication(s) to take, including how much and how often.
Pain Medication Tips
- Do not drive while taking pain medications.
- Do not drink alcoholic beverages while taking pain medications.
- Pain medication should be taken with food as this will help prevent any stomach upset.
- Often pain medications will cause constipation. Eat high fiber foods and increase your fluid intake if possible.
- To alleviate constipation, purchase a stool softener at any pharmacy and follow the recommended directions on the bottle.
Dressing/Showering
Slight bleeding through the dressing/cast is common. Reinforce the dressing/cast with 4×4 gauze pads and gauze wrap as needed. Dressings/cast must be kept dry. Modify your bathing appropriately. Cover your dressing/cast with plastic when bathing. Use rubbing alcohol to remove the betadine prep solution from the skin.
Questions/Concerns
Your surgeon should be contacted by calling 703-810-5215 Option 3 or 703-525-6100, 24 hours a day for any of the following symptoms:
- Fever greater than 101.5 degrees F.
- Numbness, loss of good color or coolness in the foot.
- Severe pain unresponsive to narcotic medication.
- Excessive bleeding or vomiting.
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath – CALL 911
- Medications given to you at the surgery center
Follow-Up
You will receive information on when and where your post-operative appointment is scheduled.
If you need to verify or change your post-op appointment, please call 703-277-2663.
You will receive customized post-op instructions after your surgery. These general instructions are given as a reference.
Rest, Ice, and Elevation
Lying flat in bed will be uncomfortable for several days. Sleeping with your back elevated on several pillows can be helpful. Apply ice to the shoulder intermittently for the first 24 hours.
Exercises
Open or Arthroscopic shoulder surgery requires a sling for protection post-operatively. Keep the sling in place until your surgeon sees you in the office. You can remove the sling to allow elbow, wrist and hand motion only 3 times a day.
Medication
You will be told the medication(s) to take, including how much and how often.
Pain Medication Tips
- Do not drive while taking pain medications.
- Do not drink alcoholic beverages while taking pain medications.
- Pain medication should be taken with food as this will help prevent any stomach upset.
- Often pain medications will cause constipation. Eat high fiber foods and increase your fluid intake if possible.
- To alleviate constipation, purchase a stool softener at any pharmacy and follow the recommended directions on the bottle.
Dressing/Showering
Slight bleeding through the dressing is common. Excessive bleeding should be reported to your surgeon. Dressings must be kept dry. Modify your bathing appropriately. Swimming or hot tubs are not allowed until the wound is completely healed. Use rubbing alcohol to remove the betadine prep solution from the skin.
Questions/Concerns
Your surgeon should be contacted by calling 703-810-5213 Option 3 or 703-810-5215 Option 3, 24 hours a day for any of the following symptoms:
- Fever greater than 101.5 degrees F.
- Numbness, loss of good color or coolness in the arm.
- Severe pain unresponsive to narcotic medication.
- Excessive bleeding or vomiting.
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath – CALL 911
Follow-Up
You will receive information on when and where your post-operative appointment is scheduled.
If you need to verify or change your post-op appointment, please call 703-277-2663.
You will receive customized post-op instructions after your surgery. These general instructions are given as a reference.
Rest, Ice, and Elevation
Remain generally at rest. Elevate and apply ice to area for the first 48 hours. Dressings must be kept dry.
Medication
You will be told the medication(s) to take, including how much and how often.
Pain Medication Tips
- Do not drive while taking pain medications.
- Do not drink alcoholic beverages while taking pain medications.
- Pain medication should be taken with food as this will help prevent any stomach upset.
- Often pain medications will cause constipation. Eat high fiber foods and increase your fluid intake if possible.
- To alleviate constipation, purchase a stool softener at any pharmacy and follow the recommended directions on the bottle.
Dressing/Showering
Slight bleeding through the dressing/cast is common. Dressings/cast must be kept dry. Modify your bathing appropriately. Cover your dressing/cast with plastic when bathing. Use rubbing alcohol to remove the betadine prep solution from the skin.
Questions/Concerns
Your surgeon should be contacted by calling 703-810-5215 Option 3 or 703-810-5213 Option 3 24 hours a day for any of the following symptoms:
- Fever greater than 101.5 degrees F.
- Numbness, loss of good color or coolness in the arm.
- Severe pain unresponsive to narcotic medication.
- Excessive bleeding or vomiting.
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath – CALL 911
Follow-Up
You will receive information on when and where your post-operative appointment is scheduled.
If you need to verify or change your post-op appointment, please call 703-277-2663.