Post-operative recommendations
Postoperative policy
The postoperative policy is very important at the short and long-term follow-up. It is more than advised to have some rest with the operated foot elevated, and this to avoid persistent swelling. Swelling increases the pain and causes stiffness in the joints after the operation. The more swelling you will have, the longer it will last.
Important recommendations for your return home:
- You are only allowed to walk with the help of the special postoperative shoe.
- The best remedy to pain is rest and avoiding swelling by elevating the leg.
- Try as much as possible to lift up the distal part of your bed and to avoid the load of the blankets on your foot.
- Try as much as possible to hold your foot elevated above the level of the knee and hip for long periods.
- Avoid your foot hanging down for a long time while sitting.
- From time to time, the ankles may get swollen and bruised, but this is due to gravity with gravity making the hematoma diffuse from to foot to the ankle.
- Move regularly your ankles and toes, depending on your pain and swelling.
- Try to limit longer periods of standing upright without moving, and never stand up without your special postoperative shoe.
- Put some ice around the foot, this will even have some effect through your bandage.
- Never replace and never wet your bandage before your next appointment! The bandage, indeed, contributes to the correction of your deformity.
- Take enough painkillers, regularly, as long as your feet still hurt.
If you are a smoker, you ought to know that tobacco, amongst other things, is an important aggravating factor in the development of complications, the non-union between bony fragments, problems with scarring,…
Contact your general practitioner or our secretary in case of problems, like there are:
- Unusual pain, increasing instead of diminishing.
- Fever.
- Hematoma passing through the bandage.
- Something else raising your suspicion or your anxiety…