Most people go back to a desk job two to six weeks after orthopedic surgery. Jobs on your feet all day usually take six to twelve weeks, and heavy manual work can take THREE to six months, sometimes longer.
The operation sets the earliest safe date. Your job decides how far past it you’ll need. Your surgeon’s advice comes first, because it’s based on how your repair or new joint is healing.
A phased return, with shorter hours or lighter duties for the first few weeks, makes those first weeks back much easier to manage.
Why the type of job matters most
- Desk work: you can sit, keep a leg raised under the desk and take breaks. Working from home at first can bring the date forward
- Standing and walking jobs: retail, teaching, nursing, hospitality. Swelling and tiredness build through the day, so you need more stamina than a desk needs
- Heavy manual work: lifting, carrying, ladders, kneeling, working overhead. The repair has to be strong enough for the load, and that takes months
- Driving for work: you need to be safe to drive before you can do the job at all. See when can I drive after surgery
- The commute: a crowded train, a long walk from the parking lot or a car you can’t yet drive can be a bigger barrier than the work itself
Typical time off by surgery
These are common ranges. Your surgeon may give you different ones. Use theirs.
- Knee replacement: desk work at around 6 weeks. Up to 12 weeks for work on your feet all day. NHS guidance gives about 6 to 12 weeks depending on the job. See knee replacement recovery time week by week
- Hip replacement: desk work often at 4 to 6 weeks. Physical jobs, around 3 months. See hip replacement recovery week by week
- ACL reconstruction: desk work often within 1 to 2 weeks if you can get there and keep the leg up. Physical work waits until your strength program allows it, usually several months
- Rotator cuff repair: desk work usually 3 to 8 weeks, depending on your commute and how well you manage one-handed. Lifting and overhead work usually waits several months. See rotator cuff surgery recovery
- Shoulder replacement: desk work often once the sling is off or nearly off
- Broken ankle with plates and screws: desk work can be early if you can keep the foot up and get there safely. Standing work waits until you’re out of the boot and can stay on your feet for hours
- Bunion surgery: desk work at 2 to 4 weeks with the foot raised. Standing jobs need longer, usually once you’re back in a normal shoe
- Microdiscectomy or laminectomy: desk work at around 4 to 6 weeks. Physical jobs can take up to 3 months
- Spinal fusion: desk work at around 4 to 6 weeks, ideally part-time at first. Heavy manual work takes longer, and some people need to change the kind of work they do. See spinal fusion recovery
Most people who struggle when they first go back aren’t in much pain. They’re exhausted.
Fatigue is the part nobody warns you about
Surgery, anesthesia, broken sleep, pain medicines and rehab exercises all take energy. Tiredness usually outlasts the pain by weeks.
- Expect afternoons to be hard: swelling and aching often build as the day goes on
- Protect your rehab time: your exercises still need doing. A full day at work plus a full exercise program is too much for many people at first
- Sleep: if you’re still waking at night with pain, a full-time return will feel harder
Phased return: the smart way back
- Shorter hours: half days or fewer days a week at first, then build up week by week
- Lighter duties: seated tasks, no lifting, no ladders, no kneeling until you’re cleared
- Working from home: even one or two days a week cuts the commute and lets you rest the leg
- Movement breaks: get up and walk around often rather than sitting for hours. After leg surgery, raise the leg when you can
- Travel outside rush hour: a later start can mean a seat on the train or an easier drive
What to ask your employer
- Can I start with reduced hours? And for how long?
- Can I work from home for part of the week?
- Can my duties change for a while? For example, no lifting over a set weight, or a seated role
- Can I have time off for physical therapy appointments?
- Is there an occupational health service? They can assess what you can safely do
- Can I park closer, or change my start time?
Sick notes and leave vary by country
- US: eligible employees can take up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave in a 12-month period under a federal law, the Family and Medical Leave Act. Paid leave depends on your employer, your state and any disability insurance you have
- UK: your doctor can give you a fit note saying you “may be fit for work” with a phased return, changed hours or amended duties
- Elsewhere in Europe: sick leave, sick pay and return-to-work rules differ a lot between countries. Check with your doctor and your employer’s HR team
- Self-employed: plan your time off before surgery, since there may be no sick pay at all
Go to the emergency department if
- You have chest pain or sudden shortness of breath. Call emergency services
- After spine surgery, you have new weakness or numbness in both legs, numbness around your bottom or genitals, or you lose control of your bladder or bowel
Call your surgeon today if
- Your wound is red, hot, oozing or opening, or you have a fever
- Your calf is painful, swollen or warm
- Pain suddenly gets much worse after lifting or a slip at work
Mention it at your next review if
- Pain or swelling is worse at the end of every working day and not settling overnight
- You’re too tired to do your exercises on work days
- You need a letter or a note for your employer about hours or duties
Healing sets the earliest date. A phased return decides how well the first month goes.