4 Smart Tips For Reducing Swelling In Your Foot Following Surgery

If you injured your foot seriously enough to require surgery, you are going to want to make sure you take the recovery process seriously.

Taking the recovery process seriously can make the difference between being down for a month or two and being down for half a year. With foot surgery, you are going to want to focus first on reducing swelling following your surgery. Reducing the swelling will help to lessen the pain you feel and promote healing.

Smart Tip #1: Prepare to Get Lots of Rest

First, you are going to want to prepare to get a lot of rest following your surgery. The best things you can do are stay still, get rest, and avoid putting any weight on your foot.

The more you stay off your feet, relax, and even catch up on your sleep, the more opportunity you are giving your foot to heal. Give your body a break and allow your foot to heal without any pressure.

Smart Tip #2: Use Cold Therapy

Second, you are going to want to use cold therapy. Cold therapy is a helpful method of reducing swelling in the days immediately following your surgery. With cold therapy, you will apply an ice pack or a bag of ice wrapped up in a towel to your foot. You only want to keep the cold ice pack on for about fifteen to thirty minutes; you want to avoid making it too cold. You should ice your foot each hour you are awake.

Cold therapy helps to slow down blood flow to your foot and will help reduce the swelling you experience in your foot.

Smart Tip #3: Elevate Your Foot

Third, you are going to want to elevate your foot when you are resting. It doesn't need to be straight up in the air, but generally, it is a good idea to place your foot so that it is level with or higher than your heart whether you are lying down or sitting up. Putting your foot up above your heart will allow fewer fluids will collect in it, and the blood will pump more effectively.

Smart Tip #4: Use Your Mobility Device

Your doctor is going to provide you with a mobility aid to help you when you are moving around. The mobility device will help to assist with the healing process and will help reduce your chance of harming your foot when it is healing.

You may be provided with underarm crutches, hands-free crutches, or a knee walker. Have your doctor show you how to use the mobility device before your surgery, and secure the device so you have it to use after your surgery. This is a tool to help you heal, so don't be afraid or embarrassed to use it.

To learn more, contact a resource like Elmhurst Podiatry Center Ltd.