Care After Joint Replacement or Limb-Sparing Surgery

Joint replacement or limb-sparing surgeries involve placing an artificial bone or joint (prosthesis) to replace damaged or diseased bone. After the surgery, your child will need time and support to heal safely at home. Work closely with your physical therapist for strengthening and range of motion exercises to help your child regain function and return to walking, playing, and daily activities. 

The tips below can help you lower the risk of infection, protect the prosthesis (artificial joint or limb), and know when to seek medical care. Always follow the instructions given by your care team.  

Prevent infection

Because infections can be hard to treat and can sometimes spread to the prosthesis, it’s important to take extra steps to protect the impacted limb. 

• Keep any wounds clean and dry. Always follow your care team’s instructions and wash hands before wound care.   
• Call your care team if your child has any of the following signs of infection: 
  • Fever 
  • Redness, swelling, heat, or pain around the affected limb    
  • Pus or unusual drainage from any sore on the impacted limb   
• Try to avoid cuts, scrapes, and ingrown nails on the impacted limb. This could lead to serious infection.   
• Treat illnesses promptly. Illnesses, such as a urinary tract infection, could lead to an infection around the prosthesis. 
• Let all health care providers know that your child has a prosthesis. To help prevent infection, your child will need to take antibiotics before any dental work, procedure, or surgery. 
  • Let your child’s care team know about upcoming procedures. 
  • Your child will not need to take antibiotics before routine dental cleanings. 

Follow activity guidelines

After surgery, your care team will give you activity restrictions or limits on what your child can do while they heal. Even after healing from surgery, your child’s ability to do some physical activities may be different than before surgery. They may need to stop doing certain activities, such as contact sports or high-impact activities.  

Your care team will give specific activity restrictions to protect the prosthesis and prevent injury.  

• Avoid contact sports. Contact sports are any sport where your child is likely to have direct physical contact with other players or equipment during play.    This includes sports like soccer, football, basketball, hockey, and lacrosse.  
• Talk to your care team about high-impact activities. High-impact activities can put a lot of stress on bones or joints. Your child may need to avoid activities like running or jumping, especially if their leg is affected. 
• Encourage low-impact activity. Physical activity helps keep muscles and joints strong and supports overall health. Ask your care team about safe options for your child, such as swimming, walking, or golf. A physical therapist or occupational therapist can help your child adjust activities to stay safe. 

Watch for prosthesis problems

After joint replacement or limb-sparing surgery, your child’s prosthesis can sometimes have problems. These may include injury near or damage to the prosthesis, infection, loosening, or parts moving out of place.   

Let your care team know immediately if any of the following things happen: 

• New or worsening pain or swelling in the affected limb that does not go away, especially after an impact or fall 
• Redness, warmth, or drainage from a wound on the limb, especially if your child is also running a fever 
• A cracking noise or unstable feeling when using the limb  
• Any change in how much the joint can move, the position of the limb, or how it bends or rotates 

Get recommended follow-up care

Physical therapy 

Your child will have physical therapy as part of follow‑up care. Physical therapy helps improve strength, movement, and safe use of the limb.  

Prosthesis monitoring and adjustment 

The prosthesis may need to be checked, adjusted, or replaced as your child grows. Your care team will guide you on long‑term follow‑up needs. 

Questions to ask your care team

• What should I expect during my child’s recovery at home?  
• What signs of infection or prosthesis problems should I watch for?  
• How can I help manage my child’s pain safely?  
• What activities are safe, and what should my child avoid?  
• When can my child return to school and regular activities? 
• When should my child start physical therapy, and what will it involve?  
• Will my child’s prosthesis need to be adjusted or replaced in the future? 
• What follow-up care will my child need? 
• When should I call the care team? 

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