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Los Angeles Orthopedic
Recovery support

After your surgery.

What's normal, what's not, and when to call us. This page is for patients in the first hours, days, and weeks after an orthopedic procedure at LAOSS — written so you can tell the difference between uncomfortable-but-normal and something that needs attention right now.

Office: (323) 264-7600Emergency: 911
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LAOSS clinician reviewing post-operative care instructions with a patient
24/7 — emergencies

When in doubt, call us.

We'd rather hear from you than have you worry alone. During business hours, our team will help you decide what's next.

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Key takeaways
  • Most post-op recovery is uncomfortable but normal. This page helps you tell the difference between expected healing and something that needs attention.
  • True emergencies — chest pain, severe bleeding, signs of stroke, severe shortness of breath — call 911 immediately.
  • Suspected blood clot (DVT) symptoms — new calf pain, swelling, and warmth in one leg — go to the nearest ER.
  • Possible infection signs — fever, drainage, increasing redness around the incision — call us at (323) 264-7600 the same day, or go to urgent care.
  • Routine post-op questions during business hours — call (323) 264-7600. After hours, leave a message and we'll call you back the next business day.
Self-orient

What's normal vs. what's not.

Every orthopedic surgery has uncomfortable phases. Pain, swelling, bruising, sleep disruption, and a wound that looks worse before it looks better are all part of normal healing. The goal of this page is not to talk you out of seeking help — it's to give you the framework most post-op patients are missing in the moment they need it.

A few patterns to remember. Pain that trends down over days is reassuring, even if the absolute level is high — that's a wound that's healing on schedule. Pain that spikes up after several days of improvement is concerning and worth a phone call, because it can signal infection, a bleed, or a hardware issue. Swelling persists for weeks after most orthopedic procedures, and it usually waxes and wanes with activity — that pattern is normal. Redness that expands daily is not — a slowly growing red zone around the incision needs to be evaluated the same day.

When you're not sure which side of the line you're on, call us at (323) 264-7600 during business hours. That's what the phone is for. We would much rather hear from you and reassure you than have you sit at home worrying.

Triage

Where to go for help.

Match your symptoms to the right destination. When in doubt, call 911 or go to the nearest ER — never delay emergency care because you're worried about bothering us.

Conservative care
Step 1

Call 911 or go to the ER right now

These symptoms can't wait for a callback. Get emergency care first; we'll catch up on the chart after.

  • Chest pain or chest pressure
  • Sudden shortness of breath
  • Sudden numbness, weakness, or slurred speech (signs of stroke)
  • Severe bleeding from the incision that won't stop with firm pressure
  • Loss of consciousness or fainting
  • Signs of a blood clot — new calf pain plus swelling plus warmth in one leg
  • High fever (over 101.5°F) with chills or shaking
  • Severe headache after spinal surgery
  • Sudden cold, blue, or numb fingers or toes downstream of the surgical area
Surgical care
When needed

Call us at (323) 264-7600 during business hours

These need our attention but are not emergencies. We'll triage, advise, and bring you in if needed.

  • Possible infection signs — drainage, increasing redness, low-grade fever
  • Wound separation without active bleeding
  • A suture or staple coming loose
  • Medication concerns or side effects
  • Escalating pain not controlled by your prescribed medication
  • Can't keep food or water down for more than a few hours
  • Constipation lasting more than three days
  • Questions about activity restrictions, weight-bearing, or driving
  • Follow-up appointment scheduling
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Red flags

Three signs that need an ER visit, not a call to us.

If any of these scenarios match what you're feeling, go to the nearest emergency room. These conditions are time-sensitive — calling us first wastes minutes that matter.

01Emergency

Suspected blood clot (DVT or PE)

Orthopedic patients are at elevated risk for clots in the days and weeks after surgery. Treat any of these as an emergency.

  • New calf pain combined with swelling and warmth in one leg
  • Sudden shortness of breath, especially with chest pain
  • Unexplained rapid heart rate or lightheadedness
  • Action: go to the ER immediately. Do not drive yourself.
02Same day

Signs of a wound infection

Infections are treatable when caught early. The window matters — don't wait days to see if it gets worse.

  • Fever above 101.5°F, especially with chills
  • Pus or foul-smelling drainage from the incision
  • Redness around the wound that expands day over day
  • Severe, escalating pain right at the incision
  • Action: go to the ER or urgent care, then call us at (323) 264-7600 so your surgeon knows.
03Emergency

Vascular or nerve compromise

If circulation or nerve signal is cut off downstream of the surgery, the limb is at risk. This is one of the few true surgical emergencies.

  • Fingers or toes that are cold, blue, dusky, or pale below the surgical area
  • Loss of feeling or movement in the hand or foot
  • No detectable pulse below the cast, splint, or incision
  • Action: go to the ER immediately. Loosen anything constrictive on the way if you can.
Wound care

Taking care of the incision.

Keep the area clean and dry. That's the single most important rule for the first two weeks. Don't pick at scabs, don't apply ointments, lotions, or hydrogen peroxide unless your surgeon told you to. The body is doing the work — your job is to not get in its way.

For most orthopedic procedures, sutures or staples come out somewhere between day 10 and day 14, at a brief office visit. Until then, dressings may look a little stained — a small amount of serous drainage (clear, yellow-tinged fluid) is normal as the wound seals. Pus, foul smell, or expanding redness is not normal and should prompt a same-day phone call.

Showering versus bathing varies by procedure and dressing type. Some patients can shower with a waterproof dressing on day two; others need to wait a week. No soaking — no baths, no pools, no hot tubs, no ocean — until your surgeon clears it, because submerging the incision invites bacteria into healing tissue. When in doubt, follow your surgeon's specific written discharge instructions; the rules below are general, the discharge sheet is yours.

If a dressing falls off early or gets soaked, don't panic. Cover it with a clean dry dressing or gauze and call us during business hours for guidance.

What to expect

Week-by-week recovery expectations.

These are general timelines for most orthopedic procedures. Your specific surgery and your surgeon's instructions take priority over anything below — but this gives you a mental map.

01Days 0–3

The hardest stretch.

Most pain, most swelling, most reliance on prescribed medication. This is normal — it doesn't mean something is wrong.

  • Take prescribed pain medication on schedule, not just when pain breaks through
  • Begin gentle movement as instructed — short walks, ankle pumps to prevent clots
  • Expect difficulty sleeping; nap when you can during the day
  • Ice and elevate the surgical area frequently
  • Hydrate aggressively and eat what you can keep down
02Days 4–14

Trending in the right direction.

Pain begins to ease day over day, even if swelling is still significant. This is the window where staples or sutures usually come out.

  • Pain should be trending down — spikes after improvement deserve a phone call
  • Swelling persists; that's normal and unrelated to whether you're healing
  • Physical therapy typically begins if it was prescribed
  • Suture or staple removal in this window for most procedures
  • Continue prescribed medications — ask before you taper anything
03Weeks 2–8

Returning to life.

Range of motion progress is the goal. Most patients return to office work in this window; major activity restrictions stay in place.

  • Office and desk work is generally possible for most patients
  • Driving may resume for non-dominant-extremity surgeries — only off opioids
  • Lifting, twisting, impact, and strenuous activity remain restricted
  • Range-of-motion gains, not pain level, are the measure of progress
  • Follow-up appointment around week 6 for most procedures
Stay alert

DVT and PE — what to watch for after orthopedic surgery.

Symptoms

Common symptoms

  • New calf pain — feels like a deep cramp that won't go away
  • Swelling in one leg that's noticeably larger than the other
  • Warmth and redness in the calf or thigh of one leg
  • Sudden shortness of breath, especially at rest
  • Sharp chest pain that worsens when you breathe in
  • Unexplained rapid heart rate or feeling lightheaded
  • A sudden cough, sometimes with blood-tinged sputum
Causes

Common causes

  • Reduced mobility after surgery — sitting or lying still for long stretches
  • Inflammation from the surgery itself, which makes blood more likely to clot
  • Personal or family history of clotting disorders
  • Estrogen-containing medications (some birth control, some hormone therapy)
  • Older age, obesity, smoking, and prior history of DVT
  • Long flights or car rides during the recovery window
  • Skipping prescribed blood thinners or compression stockings
Pain patterns

Two ways to read what your pain is telling you.

Pain after surgery is not just a number on a scale — the trend over days is the signal that matters most.

Reassuring

Pain trending down over days

Day 3 was worse than day 5. Day 7 was easier than day 4. You're still uncomfortable, but the curve is bending the right way.

  • Means the wound is healing on a predictable schedule
  • Expect peaks after activity or physical therapy — that's normal
  • Continue prescribed medication as directed; don't stop early just because today felt easier
  • Keep moving, hydrating, and following PT if prescribed
Call us

Pain spiking up after several days of improvement

Day 5 felt better, but day 7 is suddenly worse than day 3. A new kind of pain — sharper, deeper, or in a new location — is also worth a call.

  • Can signal infection, a small bleed, or a hardware issue
  • Call (323) 264-7600 during business hours, same day
  • Note the location, the character, and what makes it better or worse
  • Don't try to outlast it at home — earlier is always easier to treat
If escalating pain comes with fever, drainage, expanding redness, or a cold and numb hand or foot — skip the call and go to the ER.
Medications

Common medication questions.

Finish prescribed antibiotics. If your surgeon sent you home on a course of antibiotics, take every dose even if you feel fine. Stopping early is the most common way a treated infection comes back stronger.

Don't double-dose if you miss a pain medication. Take the next dose at the next scheduled time. Two doses close together raise the risk of breathing problems and serious side effects, especially with opioids.

Never mix prescribed opioids with alcohol or sleep aids. That combination is responsible for most accidental overdoses in post-op patients. If you can't sleep, call us — we'd rather help you find another solution than have you reach for something that doesn't mix.

Prevent constipation before it starts. Opioids slow the gut. Drink water, add fiber when you can tolerate food, and take an over-the-counter stool softener like docusate sodium starting the day of surgery unless your surgeon told you otherwise. Constipation that lasts more than three days deserves a phone call.

Call us about side effects. Itching, rash, nausea that won't stop, hives, swelling of the face or throat — any of these need a same-day call. Severe allergic reactions go to the ER, not us first.

How to reach us

Returning patient — how to reach us.

Honest framing: LAOSS does not have a patient portal yet. That means there's no app to message your surgeon through, no portal inbox, and no way to upload a photo of your incision for review. We're working on it — but we won't pretend it exists today.

For everything else, call (323) 264-7600 during business hours. Our front desk team can:

  • Triage post-op questions and route to your surgeon or PA
  • Send in prescription refills
  • Schedule your follow-up appointment
  • Help with insurance, billing, and self-pay questions
  • Coordinate physical therapy referrals

If you call after hours, leave a voicemail and we'll call you back the next business day. For anything that can't wait until then, call 911 or go to the nearest ER — we'd much rather you over-react to a symptom than wait at home.

If you only need to schedule a follow-up visit and don't have a clinical question, you can also book online: Book on Zocdoc. Choose your provider and the office closest to you.

Common post-op questions

Honest answers to the questions we hear most.

  • A low-grade temperature (under 101°F) in the first 48 hours after surgery is common as the body responds to the procedure. A fever above 101.5°F, a fever that comes on days later, or any fever with chills, drainage, or expanding redness around the incision should be evaluated the same day. Call (323) 264-7600, or go to urgent care or the ER if it's after hours.
  • Typically yes. Itching is a common healing signal — nerves and skin are re-knitting, and the mild histamine response shows up as itchiness. Don't scratch, and don't apply lotions or ointments unless your surgeon told you to. Severe itching with redness, swelling, or hives is different and could be a medication reaction or skin infection — that's worth a phone call.
  • Pathology results typically come back within 5 to 10 business days. We'll call you when the report arrives. If you haven't heard back within two weeks, call us at (323) 264-7600 and we'll follow up with the lab.
  • It depends on the procedure and the dressing type. Some patients can shower with a waterproof dressing within 48 hours; others need to wait a week. Check your discharge instructions first — they're written for your specific surgery. When in doubt, call (323) 264-7600 before you get in the shower. No soaking — baths, pools, and hot tubs — until your surgeon clears you.
  • Post-op swelling fluctuates with activity, gravity, and the time of day. Heaviness that comes and goes is usually normal. Sudden, painful, one-sided swelling — especially in the calf — is a different concern and can signal a blood clot. Go to the ER if you have new calf pain plus swelling plus warmth.
  • It varies by procedure and which limb was operated on. As a general rule, you should not drive while you're taking opioid pain medication, and you need to be able to comfortably operate the pedals and steering wheel — including in an emergency stop. For right-side knee or foot surgeries, most patients wait several weeks. Ask your surgeon at the next follow-up, or call (323) 264-7600.
  • Most patients are scheduled for a first follow-up around day 10 to 14 for suture or staple removal and a wound check. A second visit usually happens around six weeks. Your discharge instructions list your specific dates — if they didn't, call (323) 264-7600 and we'll book you.
  • Call (323) 264-7600 during business hours. That's exactly what the phone is for. We'd much rather hear from you and reassure you than have you sit at home worrying. If it's after hours and the symptom can't wait — chest pain, severe bleeding, signs of stroke, suspected blood clot, signs of severe infection — call 911 or go to the nearest ER.
When in doubt

Call us. That's what the phone is for.

We'd rather hear from a worried patient than miss something that mattered. During business hours, call (323) 264-7600 and we'll help you decide what's next. After hours, leave a message and we'll call back the next business day. For anything that can't wait, call 911 or go to the nearest ER.

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