Surgery recovery

If an operation is coming, put the warning signs in front of you before surgery day, so a phone call is easy to make when one shows up. For readers in Wood Dale, reading these answers costs nothing and takes no skill.

Five questions to read before the operation

• Which warning signs after surgery need a call to the doctor? Put this first. The call is free to make, and you need no training to place it.
• When can I put weight on my foot after surgery? This is a question to settle with the surgical team, and reading about it first costs nothing.
• Are forearm crutches easier than underarm crutches? Crutches and other aids matter here: a trial abstract on PubMed Central calls them essential for getting around without weight on the foot after orthopaedic foot or ankle surgery, and says they help with daily activities and recovery. That trial comparing two crutch types after foot and ankle surgery is free to read.
• How can I lower my blood clot risk after foot surgery? Cleveland Clinic's guide to DVT prevention is a plain place to begin, and a PMC paper on keeping clots away after bone and joint surgery goes deeper.
• How do orthopedic teams screen for deep vein clots? This one is for understanding only, because the screening is done for you.

Steps that can be undone

Some recovery steps are free and easy to reverse. In its rehabilitation guide, HSS notes that swelling can be minimized by elevating the right leg when resting in bed. Raising a leg costs nothing, asks for no skill, and ends the moment you lower it.

For patient information on foot and ankle orthopaedics, the Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust page is a further read.

Neighbouring groups

The imaging and casting group covers walking boots, which sits beside this group's question about putting weight on a foot.