Dos and Don’ts After Joint Replacement or Limb-Sparing Surgery

After joint replacement or limb-sparing surgery, you will need to help your child take steps to prevent infection and prevent breakage.

• Always try to avoid cuts, scrapes, and ingrown nails on the impacted limb. This could lead to serious infection and losing the limb.
• Keep any wounds clean and dry. Let your child’s care team know immediately if they have any of the following on the impacted limb:
  • Excessive redness
  • Heat
  • Drainage from any sore on your limb with the joint replacement or around your incision
• Do not delay treating illnesses. Illnesses, such as a urinary tract infection, could also lead to an infection around the prosthesis.
• Your child will need to take antibiotics before any dental work, procedure, or surgery to help prevent infection.
  
  • Let your child’s care team know about upcoming procedures.
    
  • Your child will not need to take antibiotics before a normal dental cleaning.

• No contact sports. This means any sport that involves being touched by another person or piece of equipment. That includes :
  • Football
  • Basketball
  • Baseball
  • Softball
  • Soccer
  • Lacrosse
• No high-impact sports. This means no high-impact aerobics, running, or jumping on a trampoline.
• Low-impact activity is a good option. Your child can swim, play golf, walk, and exercise on an elliptical machine.
• Your child’s prosthesis can break. Let the care team know immediately if any of the following things happen:
  • Sudden pain in the limb with the joint replacement that does not go away, especially after a fall.
  • Redness, heat, or drainage from the limb, especially if your child is also running a fever.
  • A cracking noise or a squishy feeling when walking on leg or bending the limb.
  • Any increase in swelling.
  • Injury to the limb.
  • Any change in range of motion, position, or rotation of your child’s limb.