When Does an Ingrown Toenail Require Professional Care?
Ingrown toenails are fairly common. Though painful, they usually aren’t serious cause for concern. However, there are exceptions. If you have an ingrown toenail, here’s when you need an expert.
Prepare Your Home in Advance of Foot Surgery
Foot surgery is an effective way to treat podiatry conditions like fractures, bunions, or tendon damage. But, after foot surgery, you need to plan on a period of limited mobility while you recover. No two-foot surgery procedures are the same, but all require some recovery time.
The team of podiatry and foot and ankle experts at Cortez Foot & Ankle Specialists of Bradenton, University Park, and Ellenton, Florida provide comprehensive pre- and post-surgery support. Our Bradenton, Florida, office contains our self-contained podiatric surgery center.
Recovery from foot surgery is often challenging, especially if you’re not prepared ahead of time. Having your home ready for recovery can make all the difference. With a little planning ahead before foot surgery, you have an easier time recovering, letting you heal better, faster, and with less stress.
Here are some helpful ways to prepare your home before your scheduled foot surgery.
Gathering support
Before surgery, gather the support from friends and family you’ll need to recover. It’s especially key to have help in the first few days after foot surgery. Even if you’re usually very independent, plan to have help during this time.
You’ll need someone to drive you home after your surgery. It’s unsafe to drive after even local anesthesia. And, you’ll likely need to rest one of your feet, making driving a challenge.
In the first few days after surgery, support with household tasks like food preparation and cleaning may be necessary, as you might not be able to move around easily.
Redefining your space
Your recovery space may need to be different from your usual living conditions. You’ll need plenty of space to move around as you navigate using a walking boot or crutches. Tripping and slipping hazards need to be removed from your recovery space. That may include removing throw rugs, dealing with uneven flooring, and taping down loose wires or cords.
Prepare the bathroom by putting non-slip rugs and a shower chair in place.
Make sure you have clear paths between rooms you plan to use during recovery. Use night lights in bathrooms and hallways to reduce your risk of trips and falls! Shifting your space to one level in your home, ideally the ground floor, is a good way to avoid the hazards and challenges of going up and down stairs.
Stocking up on essentials
You should have a good amount of all your essentials — food, drinks, medication, toilet paper — on hand before your foot surgery. Food and meal prep is another good way to take pressure off as you recover.
Delivery services can supply just about everything you need. It’s a good idea to check ahead of time and stock up on ingredients that might not be available for delivery.
Set up everything you need within reach of your primary resting space. That includes chargers and medications!
It’s not easy to recover from foot surgery. You can make it a lot easier on yourself by preparing for your recovery in advance.
Talk to the team at Cortez Foot & Ankle Specialists about your recovery concerns. Schedule an appointment online or over the phone today.
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