Stop using the stick when you can walk as well without it as with. It is better to use a stick if you still have a limp so that you do not get into bad habits that are hard to lose. Limping puts extra strain on your other joints especially your back and other knee. Use the stick in the opposite hand to your operated knee.

This information is an extract from ‘A patient’s guide to total knee replacement’, a document created to enhance our patients' recovery after a knee replacement. The complete document is available to download here.