After you’ve had joint replacement surgery, it’s important to work closely with your doctor to manage the recovery and rehabilitation processes and prevent complications from developing. Good communication, a clear treatment plan, and regular follow-up visits to your physician can make a big difference in helping you take good care of yourself and stay healthy. Here’s a step-by-step guide to talking to your doctor effectively about recovering from joint replacement surgery:

Step One: Set your goals.

First, find out how the surgery went, what your current limitations are, and what you can expect in the way of recovery over time. Then, find out what kinds of therapies can improve your recovery and what your goals should be for regaining mobility in a timely manner. How often should you do physical therapy or home-based exercises? And how will you be able to tell if it’s helping? How should you clean and care for your surgical wound and how soon should it heal?

Step Two: Manage your medicines.

Ask your doctor to explain why you’re taking a particular medication, how it works, how often you should take it, whether it should be taken with or without food, and what side effects you should watch out for. Should you take pain medication on an as-needed basis and/or before doing your physical therapy or exercise program? If you’re taking aspirin or a blood-thinning medication to prevent clots, are there potential interactions with foods or other drugs that you should be aware of? (For example, if you eat lots of foods rich in vitamin K—like leafy greens—some anti-clotting drugs may not work as well.)

Step Three: Look at your lifestyle.

Find out how often you should exercise, whether physical or occupational therapy would be helpful and for how long, and whether there are any particular movements you should avoid while recovering. Should you try to lose weight? Being overweight can impede the recovery from some joint replacement surgeries. Also, find out how you should modify your everyday activities at home—whether stair climbing should be kept to a minimum, whether you should sit in certain types of chairs but not others, and what you should do to avoid falls.

Step Four: Plan ahead.

Ask your doctor how often you should be seen for follow-up visits and what kinds of assessments the doctor will do to see if a therapy or medication is helping. Also, find out what other medical conditions—such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or lung disease—may complicate your recovery from joint replacement surgery and how you should handle this additional challenge.

Step Five: Fill in the blanks.

To make sure you’re not overlooking anything important, it helps to ask your doctor a few catch-all questions, such as: What else do I need to know about the recovery process? What stumbling blocks should I watch out for in my care or rehabilitation? What kinds of symptoms or changes should always be reported to you? When should I seek emergency care?