The first two weeks after foot surgery are the most crucial to a successful recovery. From monitoring your pain to keeping your foot iced, you or your caregiver may have their hands full. There’s really no shortcut to recovery; you’ll have to take the necessary steps for a successful recovery now so you don’t have to suffer later. Here are a few tips to help you recover from foot surgery.
1) Get Some Rest
You’ll hear this from your doctor for a reason. It’s because resting is one of the most important aspects of recovery. After a foot surgery, your foot – and even the rest of your body – is more fragile than normal. In order for your foot to heal well, it needs to be under the least amount of stress possible. That means listening to your doctor when he or she tells you to rest!
If your estimated recovery time is two weeks, don’t schedule to be back at your job before your doctors says it’s safe. Putting a strain on your foot or ankle could possibly undermine your whole surgery – and nobody wants to go back to the drawing board when it comes to surgical procedures.
2) Manage Your Pain
Throughout your recovery process, you need to keep in contact with your doctor. He or she is there to address any concerns or complications that you might have, including pain.
Don’t assume that you should be in pain just because you’ve gone through a surgery. Some procedures shouldn’t cause much pain, if any. Contact your doctor and let them know about any pain that you’re experiencing. Feeling pain when you shouldn’t could could be the result of another problem.
3) Ice & Elevate
You’ve probably heard this since you were in grade school playing sports: Whenever you injure your leg, you should ice and elevate it. Well, the same is true for recovering from a foot surgery.
Icing your foot and elevating it can help reduce pain and swelling. While it may not be the most comfortable, it’s important to follow the doctor’s instructions.
Foot Specialists of Birmingham
We’re specialists in all things foot related, and that means we’re experts in helping you recover from foot surgery. You may think you need foot surgery, or you may want to manage your health so you won’t have to have surgery. No matter what your concern is, we’ve got you covered. Contact us today!