How to Speed up Your Post-Surgery Recovery Time

Lateet August 12, 2019

According to John Hopkins Medicine, surgical site infections usually occur within 30 days after surgery. Recovering after surgery can feel tedious and stressful. Knowing how to heal faster after surgery properly can help you avoid an infection.

With these five post-surgery tips, you can get back to your life and still avoid an infection.

Keep reading to learn how to recover from surgery with these easy steps.

1. Follow Doctor’s Orders

While this seems like common sense, a lot of people neglect this step. To ensure you heal properly after your surgery, follow your doctor’s orders to the letter.

Even simple instructions—like “no baths post-surgery”—are there for a reason.

Some of these instructions include:

Avoiding heavy lifting
Not doing too much, too soon
Getting on your feet
Taking your medication
Going to physical therapy
Staying hydrated
Breathing exercises

Following these instructions can benefit your after-surgery care for the better.

2. Prevent Infection

Make sure to wash your hands before touching your incision.

Your physician can give you specific instructions for post-surgery care. Make sure to follow these instructions, including:

Taking your antibiotics
Keeping the wound clean and dry
Avoiding creams, ointments, and harsh soaps

Keeping your wound clean can help accelerate your surgery recovery.

Check the surgical site throughout the day to make sure your stitches are intact, too. It’s important to examine the incision for drainage or swelling.

If you experience swelling around the surgical site, check out a game ready ice machine for rent. Cold therapy can increase circulation around the wound and heal the inflammation naturally.

3. Recognize Emergencies

50 million patients suffer complications after surgery. Of those, 1.5 million die due to their complications.

For proper post-surgery healing, it’s important to recognize when your symptoms indicate an emergency. If you’re bleeding, notice signs of infection, or bleeding, call the doctor or go to the ER immediately.

4. Manage Your Pain

Some patients neglect to take the pain medication they’re prescribed. It’s normal to remain cautious about addiction or side effects. However, not taking your medication can put you at risk of pneumonia or blood clots.

Managing your pain so it remains tolerable will help you follow your post-surgery plan.

Make sure to keep moving. A quick walk every few hours can prevent deep vein thrombosis, pneumonia, and constipation. Walking can also help you work your way up to resume regular daily activities.

After-surgery care also requires you to drink fluids with your medication as well. Otherwise, you could experience dehydration and constipation.

5. Follow Up

Many patients skip their follow-up appointments.

Even if you think your wound is healing properly, make sure to check in with your physician. They might check for signs of infection or order bloodwork to make sure you’re healing properly.