The Thailand Knee Replacement Guide

Emergency in Thailand: call 1669 (free national medical emergency line). Bumrungrad: 1378 from a Thai SIM or +66 2066 8888 from a foreign phone. Bangkok Hospital: 1719 from a Thai mobile or +66 2310 3000 from a foreign phone.

Reading time: about 18 minutes · Last updated: October 2026 · Researched by Elder Thai Staff

Recovering on your own? Get a caregiver for the first weeks →

This guide is for you if you are having a knee replaced in Thailand: a total knee replacement (TKR), a partial knee replacement (UKA), one knee or both, standard or robot-assisted. It assumes you may be flying in and recovering without family around. It gives you real Thai prices, a week-by-week recovery plan, how physio works here, and how to set up a Thai condo or hotel room for a new knee.

For planning any operation in Thailand (choosing a hospital, deposits, insurance), see The Guide to Getting Surgery in Thailand. For hip, shoulder and spine surgery, see our orthopedic surgery guide.

Your surgeon in Thailand always has the final say. Where this guide and your surgeon differ, follow your surgeon.

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1. The short answer

• Hospital stay: about 3-7 days for a total knee, depending on the hospital and your progress: 3-5 at Bumrungrad, 4-5 at Bangkok Hospital, 4-7 on average at Phyathai 3. A partial knee is often shorter.
• Price: published 2026 Thai packages for one knee run from about 210,000 THB to 529,000 THB, depending on the hospital, the implant and whether a robot is used (section 3). Check that the package is open to fly-in patients.
• How long to stay in Thailand: a Thai hospital advises at least 7 days before any flight; for long-haul, plan on several weeks and let your surgeon set the date.
• The hardest part is the first 2 weeks at home: walker, swelling, painkillers, exercises several times a day. Most people need help with showering, meals and getting to physio.
• Physio is the operation's second half. Thai hospitals call daily knee-bending exercises the most important part of recovery.

Plan your first two weeks with a caregiver →

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2. Total or partial knee?

Only your surgeon can tell from your X-rays which one you can have. Ask: "Am I a candidate for a partial knee? If not, why not?"

Both knees at once? Thai hospitals offer bilateral packages. It means one trip, but a harder first month: no "good leg" to lean on. If you choose both, plan for more help at home.

Robot-assisted? Many Bangkok hospitals now offer it. It is a tool for the surgeon, not a different operation; what matters most is the surgeon's experience and your physio.

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3. What a knee replacement costs in Thailand

Real package prices published by Thai hospitals in 2026. They are examples, not quotes, and most expire on 31 December 2026.

Read the small print:

• Is the implant included? It can be the biggest single item. MedPark and Bangkok Hospital's standard packages exclude it.
• Can you use this price? Several packages are for Thai citizens and foreigners living in Thailand only. If you are flying in, ask for the international price in writing.
• What's excluded? Pre-op tests, extra nights, ICU, complications and your regular medicines are common exclusions (Bangkok Hospital terms).
• How many physio sessions? MedPark's total-knee package includes 5 inpatient sessions, a partial knee 4 (MedPark). Physio after discharge is usually extra.

Budget the rest of your stay too:

Deposits and insurance work the same as for any operation: see quotes, deposits and insurance.

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4. How long to stay in Thailand

• In hospital: about 3-7 days (section 1). Thai hospitals send you home once you can get out of bed, walk to the bathroom and manage stairs safely.
• Before any flight: Ratchaphruek Hospital advises at least 7 days, an extra-legroom seat and an airline wheelchair if you need one.
• Before a long-haul flight: no Thai hospital we found publishes a fixed figure. Many orthopedic units abroad suggest avoiding flights over 4 hours for about 3 months; the AAOS says to ask your doctor; a 2023 review found no agreement between countries. These are international norms; confirm with your hospital in Thailand.
• Wound check: Bangkok Hospital takes the waterproof dressing off around day 14-20. Stay at least until then.

A realistic plan for a fly-in patient: 4-6 weeks in Thailand for one knee. That is our planning suggestion, not a hospital rule. It covers a few days of tests and consultation, about a week in hospital, the wound check around day 14-20, and the move from walker to cane in weeks 3-6, when you are steadier for airports. Plan longer for both knees, and let your surgeon set the flight date. Book a flexible ticket.

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5. Your visa

Choose a visa that covers the whole stay above.

• Visa exemption: up to 30 days since 15 September 2026 for eligible nationalities, meant for tourism. Usually too short for a knee replacement; a 1,900 THB extension is discretionary.
• Tourist visa for medical treatment: for treatment under about 60 days. Often enough for one knee.
• Non-Immigrant O for medical treatment: for longer than 60 days, with a hospital letter and proof of funds. Suits both knees or a slow recovery. A companion can apply too.
• Medical extension inside Thailand: if your surgeon says you can't fly yet, with a doctor's certificate (thailand.go.th).
• DTV: medical treatment is a qualifying purpose; suits a long, flexible stay.

Rules depend on your passport. Thai Kru can confirm the right visa and prepare it for you. (Thai Kru is our sister visa service.)

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6. Where to stay: setting up for a new knee

Type of place: a serviced apartment or hotel within 15 minutes of the hospital. You will go back for physio and check-ups, often several times a week.

Look for:

• a lift, and no steps at the entrance. Phyathai advises a bedroom on the ground floor and avoiding stairs if you are at risk of falling.
• a toilet you can get on and off easily: if it is low, add a raised seat or a toilet frame (see supplies)
• a walk-in shower with room for a shower chair, no bathtub, no step into the bathroom
• a firm chair with arms at normal height or higher; avoid low sofas (Srisawan Hospital)
• a bed high enough to sit on with your feet flat
• room to use a walker between the bed and the bathroom

Check before you book: a step or lip into the bathroom, slippery polished tiles, low sofas and beds, and pools or lobbies reached by a few stairs. Ask for photos of the bathroom and the route from the lift.

By city:

• Bangkok: hotels near Bumrungrad from about 1,705 THB a night; near Samitivej (Sukhumvit 49) and Bangkok Hospital (Soi Soonvijai).
• Pattaya: near Bangkok Hospital Pattaya, which offers total and partial knee replacement.
• Phuket: near Bangkok Hospital Phuket's Bone & Joint Center in town, not a hillside villa.
• Chiang Mai: near Bangkok Hospital Chiang Mai's Bone and Joint Center.

Elder Thai caregivers work in hotels, condos and serviced apartments in all four cities (hotel recovery care).

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7. Getting ready

Supplies

The room

• Clear a straight path from bed to bathroom; remove loose mats and cables.
• Night lights by the bed and in the bathroom.
• Move daily items to chest height so you don't bend low or reach high (Srisawan Hospital).
• Keep phone, water, medicines and the cold pack within reach of your chair.

Food

Thai hospitals advise protein (fish, eggs, beans), calcium and vitamin D, and plenty of water, and no alcohol or smoking while you heal (Phyathai). Fruit, vegetables and 8 glasses of water a day help prevent constipation from painkillers (Srisawan). Order through Grab or LINE MAN; stock breakfasts before surgery.

Before surgery (prehab)

Ask the hospital physio to teach you the exercises and walker technique before the operation. You'll learn them faster without pain.

Your caregiver

Decide before you fly who will help on discharge day and through the first two weeks. Many people book a morning block (shower, medicines, exercises) and an afternoon block around physio. See how this works →

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8. Week by week: your recovery timeline

Every surgeon and physio sets their own plan. This shows what Thai hospitals describe, so you know what's coming.

Days 0-4: in hospital

• At Phyathai 2 you start moving within 24 hours (timing varies by hospital and surgeon): tightening the thigh muscle, bending and straightening the knee, sitting up, then walking with a walker (Phyathai 2).
• Cold packs, ankle pumps and gentle bending for pain and swelling (Phyathai 3).
• You go home when you can get out of bed, walk to the bathroom and do stairs safely, on average after 4-7 days. Bangkok Hospital aims for about 90° of bend before you leave.

Week 1: first days at home

• Walker everywhere. Short walks every hour or two while awake.
• Exercises several times a day, as filmed with your physio.
• Rest 30-60 minutes in the morning and afternoon (Srisawan).
• Blood thinners on time if prescribed (Phyathai 2).
• Expect pain and swelling, worst in the evening. Cold packs and raising the leg help.
• This is the week most people need help with the shower, meals and getting to appointments.

Week 2: wound check

• Waterproof dressing usually comes off around day 14-20 at Bangkok Hospital, which uses dissolving stitches (Bangkok Hospital). Other hospitals use clips removed in clinic; ask which you have.
• Bend targets differ: one Thai orthopedic clinic aims for more than 90° by 2 weeks (Kankavee Orthopedic Clinic), while Phyathai 2 is more cautious (see below). Your physio sets your target.

Weeks 3-6: walker to cane

• Your physio moves you from walker to crutches or a cane when you are steady (Srisawan).
• Target more than 120° of bend by 6 weeks (Kankavee).
• Don't stand or walk for long without rests in the first 6-8 weeks; overdoing it brings swelling and pain (Phyathai 2).
• Driving: usually about 4-6 weeks, when your doctor agrees (Srisawan). In Thailand you will mostly use Grab anyway.
• No soaking in a bath or pool until about 5-6 weeks (Bangkok Hospital), or until your surgeon says the wound is healed.

Months 2-6

• Most people get used to the new knee, reach about 120-140°, and climb stairs foot-over-foot (Phyathai 3).
• Good exercise: brisk walking, swimming, cycling (Phyathai 3). Avoid running and jumping.

Different targets? Phyathai 2 warns against bending past 90° in the first month, especially in deep positions like squatting (Phyathai 2), while others push for more bend sooner. That difference is real. Your own surgeon and physio set your target.

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9. Physio in Thailand

• In hospital: daily sessions with the hospital physio. MedPark's packages include 4-7 sessions depending on the operation.
• After discharge, at the hospital: most private hospitals have a rehab centre; Phyathai 3's is open daily 08:00-19:00. Ask how many sessions a week and the price per session.
• At home: licensed physiotherapists visit in Bangkok for about 1,500-1,800 THB a session. Useful in the first 2 weeks when getting to the hospital is hard.
• Your homework matters most. Physio sessions are a few hours a week; the exercises you do alone, several times a day, decide your bend. Ask to film every exercise.
• Stop and rest if exercise brings pain; if pain lasts more than 1-2 days, see the doctor (Phyathai 3).

Ask your physio, and write the answers down:

(End with ครับ khrap if you are a man, คะ kha if you are a woman.)

An Elder Thai caregiver can take you to physio, wait, and help you practise at home between sessions (joint replacement recovery). Get help with physio days →

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10. Recovery and movement rules

Rest and sleep

• Lie with a rolled towel under your ankle, not a pillow under your knee; a pillow there lets the knee stiffen bent (Srisawan). To lift a swollen leg, put 1-2 pillows under the calf (Siriraj nursing guidance).
• Change position often (Phyathai 2).

Move

• Walker: move it forward a little, lean on it, step with the operated leg, then the good leg (Srisawan).
• Avoid: squatting, sitting on the floor, cross-legged or side-sitting (พับเพียบ), kneeling, low chairs, crossing your legs and lifting heavy things (Phyathai 2, Phyathai 3).
• Out and about: temple visits and some massage shops involve sitting on the floor or kneeling. Skip them for now, or ask for a chair. Ask your surgeon before any massage on the operated leg.

Stairs: "up with the good, down with the bad"

Thai hospitals teach this, with a rail and your crutches (Srisawan):

• Going up: good (non-operated) leg first, leaning on the crutches or rail, then the operated leg.
• Going down: crutches first, then the operated leg, then the good leg.
• One step at a time. Have someone beside you the first 2-3 times.
• In a condo, use the lift. Avoid stairs you don't need (Phyathai 2).

Wash

• Keep the wound dry until your doctor allows it (Phyathai 2).
• Sit on a shower chair (Srisawan). Many modern bathrooms are open wet-room style with tile that gets slippery: use a non-slip mat inside and out.
• No bath, pool or sea for about 5-6 weeks (Bangkok Hospital).

Long term

• Tell any doctor about your implant before an MRI (Srisawan).
• Keep your weight down; swim, cycle, walk; avoid running and heavy lifting (Phyathai 2).

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11. When to call

Call 1669 now (or your hospital's emergency line) if you:

• have chest pain, a tight chest or trouble breathing (Phyathai 2). This can be a clot in the lung (Ratchaphruek).
• fall and cannot get up, or hit your head
• faint, or are hard to wake or newly confused

How to call: say "English", give your address and a callback number, and don't hang up until told to (Bumrungrad). Keep this by the phone:

"ต้องการรถพยาบาล ผม/ฉันเพิ่งผ่าตัดเปลี่ยนข้อเข่า ที่อยู่คือ [hotel name in Thai], ห้อง [room], เบอร์โทร [number]" (I need an ambulance. I just had a knee replacement. The address is …)

Call your surgeon's clinic today if:

• the wound is swollen, red, hot, bleeding, or oozing pus (Phyathai 2)
• you have a fever over 38°C, especially with a sore wound
• the knee hurts badly even at rest
• the whole leg or one calf is swollen, red or tight (possible clot)
• the knee feels loose, clunks, or you suddenly can't put weight on it
• you missed or doubled a blood-thinner dose

Mention at your next visit:

• swelling that goes down overnight
• bruising down the shin or ankle
• stiffness in the morning
• constipation (more water, fruit and vegetables first)

A caregiver watches these signs with you every day →

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12. Flying home

• Your surgeon sets the date. Book a flexible ticket (section 4).
• Get a Fit for Travel certificate and medical summary at your last visit; at Bumrungrad it is valid for 7 days.
• Book an extra-legroom or aisle seat, and ask the airline for a wheelchair through the airport (Ratchaphruek).
• On board: walk the aisle and flex your feet about every 30 minutes, drink water, no alcohol on painkillers (Bangkok Hospital). Wear compression stockings if your surgeon advises.
• Medicines, especially blood thinners, in hand luggage.
• Book physio near home before you leave, and take your exercise videos.
• Need someone to get you to the airport? Elder Thai offers medical escort transport.

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13. Mistakes people make

• Comparing a package without the implant to one with it.
• Assuming a "Thai and expats" price applies to you.
• A 30-day visa for a 6-week recovery.
• A condo with a step into the bathroom and a low sofa.
• Skipping exercises because it hurts. The bend you lose in weeks 1-6 is hard to get back.
• Doing too much on a good day and spending the next two with a swollen knee.
• Kneeling or sitting on the floor on a temple visit in the first months.
• Being alone for the first shower.

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14. An example (illustrative)

This example is made up to show how the plan fits together. It is not a real patient.

Mark, 69, flies from Sydney for a total knee replacement in Bangkok.

• Before booking: he gets a written international price including the implant and 4 nights, and a Non-O medical visa through a visa agency. He books a serviced apartment 5 minutes from the hospital with a walk-in shower and a lift, and a flexible flight 6 weeks out.
• Days 0-4: he films every exercise and the stair technique.
• Weeks 1-2: a caregiver comes 4 hours each morning for the shower, medicines and exercises, and 8 hours on physio and wound-check days.
• Weeks 3-6: he moves to a cane, does physio twice a week at the hospital, and stops the caregiver in week 4.
• Week 6: his surgeon clears him to fly. He books a wheelchair at both airports.

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15. Get a caregiver: Elder Thai after-surgery care

A new knee is weeks of hard, daily work, and the first two weeks are when people alone struggle most: the first shower, the stairs, the night-time trip to the bathroom on painkillers.

Elder Thai sends a trained, bilingual caregiver to your hotel, condo or serviced apartment, working to a plan set by our Nurse Coordinator and your physio's instructions (joint replacement recovery, orthopedic recovery care).

What your caregiver does:

• meets you at discharge and sets up your room for the walker
• stands by for showers, toilet and stairs, within your surgeon's limits
• reminds you of the exercise sessions and helps you follow your videos
• keeps your medicine log, especially blood thinners
• brings cold packs, meals and laundry
• checks the wound, swelling, calves and temperature daily (post-op monitoring)
• takes you to physio and check-ups and speaks Thai with staff (hospital companion)
• tells the Nurse Coordinator early if something looks wrong

Shifts and backup: caregivers work in shifts, so round-the-clock care is shared, not one exhausted person. A replacement caregiver is always ready if yours is sick or off.

What we do not do: replace your surgeon or physio. Registered nurses handle clinical tasks such as injections or complex dressings (wound care at home).

Pricing: you choose hours per day and number of days. No fixed package.

Example (illustrative), one knee: 24 hours for the first 2 nights home, then 8 hours a day for 5 days, then 4 hours a day for 7 days = 2 x 3,500 + 5 x 2,200 + 7 x 1,200 = 26,400 THB. Many people choose overnight care for the first nights; both knees often need a live-in caregiver for longer.

Where: Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket and Chiang Mai.

How to start: send us your hospital, surgery date, which knee(s) and where you will stay. Plan before you fly and we'll be ready on discharge day.

Request knee replacement aftercare · WhatsApp +66 62 837 0302 · LINE · [email protected]

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16. FAQs

How much does a knee replacement cost in Thailand? Published 2026 packages for one knee range from about 210,000 to 529,000 THB, and 745,000 THB for both knees robotically at Bangkok International Hospital (section 3). Check whether the implant is included and whether the price is open to foreign visitors.

How long is the recovery? About 3-5 days in hospital, several weeks on a walker and then a cane (your physio decides when), and 2-6 months to feel at home with the knee (section 8).

How soon can I fly home? A Thai hospital advises at least 7 days before flying; for long-haul, many surgeons want several weeks or more. Your surgeon decides (section 4).

Can I recover in a condo with stairs? Use the lift, avoid stairs you don't need, and learn "up with the good, down with the bad" before discharge (section 10).

Is a partial knee better? It's smaller surgery with a faster recovery, but only suits wear on one side of the knee (section 2).

Do I need someone with me? Not every day for weeks, but most people need help in the first 1-2 weeks. You can book help a few hours a day (section 15).

Printable checklist

Print this, keep it by the bed, and tick things off. The PDF fits on one A4 page, with emergency numbers and space for your address in Thai.

Sources

• Bangkok Hospital: hip and knee packages (Thai), fly-in robotic knee package, knee replacement stay (Thai), care after joint replacement (Thai)
• Phyathai 2: after total knee replacement (Thai); Phyathai 3: knee rehab (Thai); Phyathai Nawamin knee package; Phyathai 2 robotic knee package
• Srisawan Hospital: after knee surgery (Thai)
• Samitivej: partial knee replacement (Thai), robotic knee and hip program; Samitivej Thonburi robotic knee package
• MedPark: knee and hip packages, partial knee package
• Piyavate robotic knee package; Ratchaphruek knee package and after knee replacement (Thai)
• Kankavee Orthopedic Clinic: after knee replacement (Thai); Siriraj nursing: knee care (Thai, PDF)
• Bumrungrad: total knee replacement, medical travel, hotels nearby, emergency
• KIN: home physio and equipment rental
• Thai visa sources: PRD, immigration fees, Thai embassy KL, Thai embassy Budapest, thailand.go.th, DTV; Thai Kru

For comparison (foreign guidance):

• AAOS OrthoInfo: activities after knee replacement
• Royal Orthopaedic Hospital: travel, surgery and DVT
• Cureus 2023: air travel after hip and knee replacement