Before · During · After
Patient Corner
This page explains what usually happens before, during and after a knee, hip or shoulder replacement at PMG Hospital, Gota, Ahmedabad. It covers the order of visits and tests, how to get your body and your home ready, the hospital stay, the warning signs that need a phone call, insurance paperwork and follow-up. It is general guidance; your own plan is set at your OPD visit and may differ.
Step by step
From the First OPD Visit to the Last Follow-Up
1. The First OPD Visit
Your X-rays, your symptoms and how the joint affects your daily routine are discussed before any treatment plan. Many people with joint pain are first advised medicines, weight management and physiotherapy, and surgery is discussed only when these are no longer enough.
2. The Decision and the Estimate
If surgery is advised, the operation and the implant are explained, with the expected recovery and the risks. You receive an itemised estimate, and if you plan to use health insurance, this is the time to start the insurer’s approval process.
3. Tests Before Surgery
Blood tests, an ECG and a fitness check by a physician and the anaesthetist are done. Blood sugar, blood pressure and any dental, urine or skin infection are brought under control before the date is fixed, because an infection elsewhere in the body can spread to a new joint.
4. Admission and the Operation
Admission is often on the day of surgery. For a knee replacement, where it is suitable, the operation may be done with the help of the ROSA Knee System, a robotic system used at PMG Hospital for knee replacement; this is discussed with you beforehand.
5. The Days in Hospital
After a knee or hip replacement, standing and walking with support often begin on the day of surgery, once it is safe. Physiotherapy starts in hospital, and most people go home once they can walk safely with a walker or stick, manage stairs if needed and control pain with tablets.
6. Home, Physiotherapy and Follow-Up
You go home with a written exercise plan, a medicine schedule and wound-care instructions. Follow-up visits are commonly at 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months and 1 year.
Preparing
Getting Your Body and Home Ready
Health Checks
- Complete the blood tests, ECG and fitness check
- Stop blood thinners only when your doctor tells you to in writing, and follow the restart date given
- Have any tooth, urine or skin infection treated first
- Keep blood sugar and blood pressure within the targets your doctor sets
- Stop smoking and cut down on alcohol well before surgery
- Learn and practise the thigh-tightening (quadriceps) and ankle-pump exercises in advance
At Home
- A firm chair with armrests that is not too low
- A Western toilet, or a raised seat on the toilet
- A walker ready for the first weeks
- Loose rugs, mats and trailing cables cleared from walkways
- A night light between the bedroom and the toilet
Paperwork
- Health insurance policy document, TPA card and photo ID
- Details of any earlier insurance claims
- Reports of other medical conditions and the list of current medicines
At home
Recovery at Home
Keep doing the exercises even on days when the joint feels good; movement gained in the early weeks is easier to keep than to win back later.
| Do | Avoid early on |
|---|---|
| Walk short distances several times a day rather than one long walk | Squatting, sitting cross-legged and very low seats after a knee or hip replacement |
| Use an ice pack wrapped in a cloth for about 15 minutes after exercise | Getting the wound wet before your surgeon allows bathing |
| Attend every physiotherapy session as scheduled, even on days without pain | After a shoulder replacement, lifting with the operated arm or taking off the sling before you are told to |
| Take medicines as written, including any blood thinner | Driving until your surgeon says it is safe |
Warning signs
Warning Signs That Should Not Wait
Most recoveries go smoothly. The signs below should not be left until the next planned visit.
| Sign | What to do |
|---|---|
| Fever above 100°F (37.8°C), especially with chills, or a fever that starts after you have settled at home | Call the hospital the same day |
| Increasing redness, warmth or discharge from the wound | Call the same day; a wound should look better each day, not worse |
| Pain, tenderness or swelling in one calf | Call the same day; this can be a sign of a clot in a deep vein |
| Chest pain or sudden breathlessness | Call 108 or go to the nearest emergency department straight away |
| The joint gives way, you hear a sudden pop, or the leg or arm looks out of shape | Stop using or putting weight on the limb, and call before moving it further |
| Pain that is getting worse week by week instead of better | Call for advice |
Phone: +91 96625 91666 · Phone and WhatsApp: +91 96627 70141
Money
Insurance and the Hospital Estimate
Many health insurance policies cover joint replacement once the policy’s waiting period has passed. The insurer’s approval can take time, so starting the paperwork early helps avoid a change in the surgery date.
PMG Hospital shares an itemised estimate before admission. When you read it, ask what is not included. Implant costs, physiotherapy sessions and follow-up visits are often assumed to be included, but they may be listed separately.
Travel
Coming From Outside Ahmedabad
- Plan to stay nearby for longer than the hospital stay alone; ask at the OPD how long to remain close to the hospital after discharge
- Carry all your reports, X-rays and scans to the first visit
- Short car journeys are often manageable from about the second week, with a break roughly every hour to walk and stretch
- Ask for a follow-up schedule that fits your travel
- Gujarati, Hindi and English are spoken at the hospital
FAQs
Common Questions
See also: PMG Hospital·Knee replacement·Shoulder replacement·Hip replacement·Revision joint replacement
Contact
Reaching PMG Hospital
Address
PMG Hospital (PMG Orthopedic Hospital)
3rd Floor, Athena Avenue, B/H Jaguar Showroom, Krishna Hardware Road, Nr. Eulogia Inn Hotel, S.G. Highway, Gota, Ahmedabad, Gujarat 382481
- Phone
- +91 96625 91666
- Phone and WhatsApp
- +91 96627 70141
- OPD
- Monday to Saturday, 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM; Sunday by appointment
- Emergency and trauma care
- 24×7
Get in touch
Call or send your reports, or open the hospital’s location in Google Maps.
Medically reviewed by Dr. Hiren Patel, MS (Ortho.), Joint Replacement Surgeon, PMG Hospital, Ahmedabad.