Know what to watch, when to call your surgeon, and when to call 911.
Pain, swelling, warmth, bruising, and stiffness can occur after hip or knee replacement. What matters now is whether the change can be tracked, belongs with the surgical team promptly, or needs emergency care now.
Use three urgency levels
Call 911
Sudden trouble breathing, new chest pain, coughing blood, fainting, inability to awaken, signs of stroke, uncontrolled bleeding, or another apparent emergency.
Call the surgical team promptly
New calf changes, worsening wound changes, a rapid pain or function setback, or fever and illness outside the written discharge plan.
Track the trend
Stable or gradually improving soreness, swelling, warmth, bruising, and stiffness may fit the plan when no warning signs are present.
Your surgeon's discharge instructions, medication plan, wound guidance, and after-hours directions take priority over this page.
Call 911 for possible emergency symptoms
Call 911 for sudden or rapidly worsening shortness of breath, new chest pain, coughing blood, lightheadedness with collapse, fainting, or another apparent emergency. Do not drive yourself, wait for a clinic callback, or use a physical therapy visit to test the symptom.
These symptoms do not confirm a pulmonary embolism or another diagnosis. They mean the possibility requires emergency assessment.
Contact the surgical team promptly for a meaningful change
Calf or leg
New or increasing calf pain, tenderness, warmth, redness, or swelling—especially a clear one-sided change.
Wound
Increasing redness, tenderness, swelling, drainage, opening, or another change outside the written wound plan.
Pain or function
New pain at rest, rapidly worsening pain or stiffness, a fall, a new inability to bear weight, or a sudden major loss of function.
Fever or illness
Use the temperature threshold and instructions supplied by the surgeon. Chills, new confusion, repeated vomiting, or feeling acutely ill also deserves prompt guidance.
Symptoms alone cannot confirm a clot, infection, fracture, dislocation, wound problem, or medication complication. The next step is medical guidance, not a harder exercise session or an internet self-test.
The direction of change matters
Recovery does not improve in a straight line. A temporary increase may follow activity and settle as the care team said it should. A new, severe, rapidly worsening, or returning symptom after meaningful improvement deserves more attention.
Call when several warning signs appear together, walking or daily function deteriorates quickly, the wound no longer follows the written plan, or you are unsure whether the change fits the discharge instructions.
Give the team details they can act on
- Hip or knee, right or left, procedure, and surgery date
- When the change began and whether onset was sudden
- Whether it is improving, stable, or worsening
- Wound, calf, breathing, alertness, and walking details
- Current medicines, especially any blood thinner, and the last dose time
Call script: “I had a right/left hip or knee replacement on [date]. At [time], I developed [specific change]. It is [improving, stable, or worsening]. I also notice [relevant details]. What should I do now, and where should I be evaluated?”
Physical therapy begins after the medical question is clear
A physical therapist can recognize a concerning pattern and help you contact the right team. Physical therapy cannot rule out a blood clot, pulmonary embolism, infection, fracture, dislocation, wound complication, or medication problem.
After urgent concerns are addressed and restrictions are clear, rehabilitation can assess walking, device use, motion, swelling trends, strength, balance, exercise response, and the daily task you want to restore.
Questions after hip or knee replacement
Is swelling or warmth normal after joint replacement?
Some swelling and warmth can occur. Follow the written plan and watch the direction of change. A rapid increase, a clear one-sided calf change, worsening wound findings, or a major function loss belongs with the surgical team promptly.
What temperature is too high?
Use the exact threshold in your discharge instructions because it can vary. The absence of fever does not make a worsening wound or joint change safe to ignore.
Could calf pain be exercise soreness?
It could have several causes, and a webpage or physical therapy test cannot rule out a clot. Report new or increasing calf pain—especially with one-sided swelling, warmth, redness, or tenderness—to the surgical team promptly.
Can a physical therapist rule out a clot or infection?
No. Those concerns need medical evaluation and may require testing outside physical therapy. A therapist can stop the visit and help direct you to the appropriate team.
Official guidance and next recovery questions
Address the medical concern first
Once urgent concerns are resolved and outpatient rehabilitation is appropriate, we’ll bring one-on-one mobile physical therapy to your home or another agreed setting across Dallas–Fort Worth.