Walking after surgery: why the first days matter

After most operations you will be asked to get up and walk the same day or the next morning. Short walks around the house, every hour or two while you are awake, keep the blood moving in your legs and lower the risk of clots.

Walking is not exercise yet. Keep the pace easy, stop when you feel tired, and leave hills, the gym and anything that raises your heart rate until your surgeon says so, often at four to six weeks.

By the second week most people are walking outside for twenty or thirty minutes. If one leg swells, aches in the calf or turns red, call the recovery line straight away.