If you or a loved one has a knee replacement booked, one question matters more than any other: **how long will recovery take?** The short answer: most people are walking with a stick by 2–6 weeks, driving again around 6–8 weeks, and feeling close to normal by 3–6 months. Full recovery — where the knee feels completely settled — can take up to 12 months. But those averages hide a crucial truth: **what you do in the first 12 weeks largely determines how good your knee is at 12 months.** This guide walks you through the knee replacement recovery timeline week by week, explains what speeds recovery up (and slows it down), and shows where physiotherapy at home fits in. ## The Knee Replacement Recovery Timeline at a Glance | Stage | What is happening | Key milestone | |---|---|---| | Days 1–3 |