I had both knee's replaced 6 weeks apart. That hurt! The swelling is a major obstacle for me. But icing 2 to 3 times a day while elevated above your heart helps. What I find to be very helpful is after my last icing of the day while my knee is still elevated my wife will use both hands 1 on each side of my knee cap and push to move the swelling and fluid down my thigh. After about 5 or so minutes after that I do not get up for 10 minutes so to let the fluid get absorbed into my muscle group in my leg. This helps me a great deal. I think 1 of the most important things to do is exercise pre-surgery and stretch as much as you can. I bought a flat board with foam on 1 end with 2 velcro straps to be able to stretch my knee downward so I was able to lay the back of my knee flat on the ground. I am 2.5 months post op and am making very good progress.