Your Post-Surgery Bounce-Back
Updated: Jul 30, 2020
People love a good comeback story. Apple nearly collapsed as a company before it became the tech giant it is today. Robert Downey Jr. floundered after early success as an actor, spending some time in jail and rehab before becoming a beloved leading actor again.
George Washington lost dozens of battles and suffered repeated setbacks before winning the American Revolutionary War. In each of these cases, a comeback resulted in greater success than before. You can stage your own comeback after foot or ankle surgery, so that you bounce back as good or better than you were before.
Surgery is a big step in your recovery. It means that conservative methods were not effective for helping the body heal on its own, so your foot needed a little extra work. Recovery after any procedure takes time and several steps. Following through with the initial aftercare and the rehabilitation, however, can get your feet back to full strength without pain. The key is that you follow through with all of your aftercare instructions as well as all the rehabilitation.
Aftercare usually involves a few things, like keeping your foot elevated and iced to decrease swelling and inflammation. If you’re given any medication to help with this or to manage pain, you’ll need to take it as you’re directed. Many people need their foot immobilized for a while.
You’ll have to cut back on your activities and, in some cases, avoid putting weight on your foot at all for a period of time. All of this helps your tissues heal properly.
At some point after your foot or ankle surgery, however, you’ll need rehabilitation. Your feet and ankles won’t rebuild their strength, flexibility, or range of motion on their own. Even once the tissues have healed, they will remain weakened until you work on rehabilitation.
Stretches and conditioning exercises restore them to the power and motion you need for your lower limbs to support and move you.
Surgery isn’t the end of the line—it’s a step in your recovery overall. You can bounce back afterwards if you invest in your lower limbs. Let our team at Gulf South Foot & Ankle, LLC in Metairie, LA, help you take care of your feet and ankles. Call our office at (504) 708-4810 or use our website to reach us.