- Start with your consultation and plan. Everything else follows from your dates.
- Stop smoking, get blood sugar under control and tell your surgeon about every medication, especially blood thinners.
- Avoid steroid injections in the months before surgery unless your surgeon agrees.
- Pack your records and medications in your carry-on, and prepare your home before you leave.
1. Weeks before: your plan and your health
- Your plan. After your free consultation, you receive a written plan, and the team helps you choose dates and tells you which tests to arrange at home.
- Stop smoking. It is recommended before joint replacement.
- Blood sugar and weight. Diabetes and a BMI of 40 or more raise the risk of complications, so work on them with your doctor. Weight, BMI and knee replacement →
- Medications. Make a list with doses. Blood thinners are usually stopped before surgery, but only on your doctors’ instructions.
- Injections. Avoid a steroid injection in the knee in the three months before surgery unless your surgeon agrees. Why timing matters →
- Infections. Tell the team about any infection, open wound or dental problem before you travel.
- Exercise. Stay as active as your knee allows. Exercise is strongly recommended for knee arthritis and helps you get moving after surgery.
2. Planning the trip
- Travel health visit. The CDC recommends a travel health consultation 4 to 6 weeks before you go.
- Insurance. Check travel health insurance, including medical evacuation. Medicare and surgery abroad →
- Flexible return. Your return date depends on when you are cleared to fly, so book a flexible ticket.
- A companion. Someone to help with bags, the airport and your first days is strongly recommended.
- Airport help. Ask your airline for wheelchair assistance and an aisle seat for the flight home.
3. What to pack
- Copies of your X-rays or MRI, test results and a list of allergies
- All your medications in their original packaging, with extra supply, copies of prescriptions and a list with brand and generic names and doses
- Loose, comfortable clothing that fits over a knee dressing, and shoes with a closed back
- Compression stockings, if your doctor recommends them for the flight
- Your phone charger and anything that helps you rest
How to get your records ready →
4. Get your home ready before you leave
- Clear walkways and remove loose rugs and cables
- Put everyday items at waist height so you don’t need to bend or climb
- Set up a firm chair with arms, and a place to rest near a bathroom
- Arrange rides: driving is usually not recommended for a few weeks after surgery
- Line up help with shopping and meals for the first weeks
5. In Istanbul
- Arrival. A driver meets you at the airport.
- Assessment. A health check-up with internal medicine, cardiology, anesthesia and radiology. Your plan is confirmed with you.
- Surgery. Dr. Kalender performs your knee replacement, usually under spinal anesthesia.
- Walking the next day. You take your first steps the day after surgery, and most patients stay one night in the hospital.
- Before you leave the hospital. You learn your exercises, wound care and the warning signs to watch for.
- Cleared to fly. You rest nearby until Dr. Kalender clears you for the flight home.
See how the trip works → · Flying after knee replacement →
6. Back home
- Bring home copies of your records, including operation notes and implant details
- Keep your local doctor informed about your surgery
- Follow your exercise plan, and stay in touch with Dr. Kalender’s team
Knee replacement recovery timeline →
Why preparation matters with Dr. Kalender’s approach
Dr. Kalender plans your surgery and your trip together, from the first consultation. Good preparation helps you make the most of the first days, which is where his approach makes the biggest difference.
That is where his own pain-free approach comes in. It is designed to keep pain low from the first hours, get you walking the day after surgery and, for most patients, mean one night in the hospital. He developed it himself over about ten years.
Ready to start planning?
Send your X-rays or MRI. Dr. Kalender will review your knee, and the team will help you plan your dates, tests and travel. Free, with no obligation.
Frequently asked questions
Sources and notes
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Medical Tourism: travel health consultation, insurance, records and medications.
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, The Management of Osteoarthritis of the Knee (patient summary): preparing for surgery (diabetes, BMI, blood thinners, smoking, driving).
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Management of Osteoarthritis of the Knee (Non-Arthroplasty) Clinical Practice Guideline, 2021: exercise.
- Kim YM et al. Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research, 2023: steroid injections before knee replacement.
- This guide is general information. Follow the instructions your own doctors give you.
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