Have you been in a traumatic accident or had surgery? If your answer is yes, you may not know what to do after surgery. Your recovery-time can range from a few weeks, or months, or in some cases years. Surgery is never anyone’s first choice, but if it’s unavoidable, fear not…
Surgery can be a temporary or major upset in your life and can drastically affect you in unforeseen ways. The impact on your functional abilities, independence in performing everyday tasks, or long and painful recoveries can feel like your life and lively-hood are on pause. The objective of post-operative rehabilitation is:
- to understand and set goals;
- provide interventions to decrease pain;
- address incision health to prevent infections and complications with scarring;
- improve range of motion;
- provide temporary modifications to be able to perform everyday tasks;
- during recovery: improve strength, and help you regain independence in all your activities.
3 Ways to improve recovery after surgery
- Follow instructions
There is a reason that doctors and other medical professionals study for as long as they do – to become experts. Their job is to help and heal their patients. Listening and adhering to their informed instructions, gives you the best chance of a successful recovery. The directives given may be inconvenient at times, but it’s all in your best interest.
- Keep your follow-up appointments
Many patients tend not to keep all their follow-up appointments, especially if they are feeling good and their wound is healing well. These additional appointments may seem like an unnecessary expense or waste of time, but nothing could be further from the truth.
Your healthcare provider will be pleased that you are feeling better and may agree that your incision is healing well. But what if you’ve missed something and are actually putting yourself at risk of complications? Your doctor will be looking for additional information that you may not be aware of, such as signs of infection or your medications may need to be adjusted, so please don’t skip your follow-up appointments.
- Drink and Eat properly
It is common for people to lose their appetite after having surgery. They may feel nauseated, constipated, or just not feel hunger. But staying hydrated and eating a healthy diet after surgery can help promote healing, minimize common complications, and help you get past unwanted side effects of anaesthesia. Eating well post-surgery also helps you resolve any underlying illnesses. The loss of mobility after surgery can lead to various chronic illnesses presenting themselves, which may have been existing or brought on by the surgical trauma.
Rehability’s Lifestyle Medicine (LSM) program is aimed at resolving the underlying causes of your condition (High Blood pressure, Diabetes, Obesity), and to not just medicate your symptoms. Under the guidance of Dr. Anna Papadopoulos, one of very few board certified Lifestyle Medical Practitioners in South Africa, this lifestyle program has become one of the most affordable and highly recommended. To achieve and maintain better health, the highly trained clinicians take an active role in monitoring and guiding you through your bespoke treatment plan.
For more details about our rates email us at info@thebackclinic.co.za or contact 063 097 5603.
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Contact us to find out more about treatment at The Back Clinic or with any questions you may have.