<body><div><h2>Especially for Cataract, Foot, Joints and Oral Surgery</h2><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4ULxxL_0aFIzxWA00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4ULxxL_0aFIzxWA00" width="1200" height="800" ></figure>We all know we should follow our doctor’s orders when preparing for and recovering from any kind of surgery, but that is often easier said than done. If we heal quickly, we may push our bodies too fast, too soon. If we feel rotten, we may not do our rehabilitation work as often as we should. In order to help us recover successfully, four Kentuckiana surgeons offer the dos and don’ts of recovery from cataract, foot, joint, and oral surgeries.<nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate>Cataract SurgeryDr. Brennan Greene with The Eye Care Institute says, “Most people are surprised about the speed of recovery from cataract surgery and the low impact it has on their daily activities.” Cataract surgery is the removal of the clouded lens from the eye and its replacement with an artificial lens. The surgery is usually quick and requires very little preparation. Greene says, “With modern cataract surgery, a patient’s normal medications can still be taken before and after surgery, and this includes blood thinners.” Following cataract surgery, Greene advises his patients not to engage in strenuous activity or heavy lifting for seven days, and he has patients wear a protective shield over the affected eye while sleeping for that week. He usually sees patients for a post-operative check the day after surgery and then once or twice over the next month. Most patients can begin driving after their first post-operative check-up. <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate>Rubbing the eye after surgery is a definite don’t, as is getting dirt or debris in the eye. You get a pass for a day or two from dusting and working in the yard. Foot SurgeryDr. Alan Mauser of Louisville Podiatry says the most common foot surgeries are to treat ingrown toenails, bunions, and hammertoes. Surgery for an ingrown toenail is performed in the office under local anesthesia, and Mauser says, the patient can wear shoes right off the bat. Bunion surgery is more complicated because it “involves breaking bone and resetting or repositioning bone with a pin, screw, or plate,” Mauser says. Likewise, hammertoe surgery is more difficult because “you have to remove a portion of the bone and put the bone ends together so the toe stays straight.” Recovery for bunion and hammertoe surgery takes six to eight weeks on average and requires that the patient put no weight on the affected foot. Mauser says he advises patients to use whatever mobility device works best for them, whether it be a knee scooter, wheelchair, or crutches. Once patients begin to put weight on the foot, they often wear a fracture boot, which both protects and cushions.<nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate>Mauser instructs his patients to keep their foot elevated and put ice on it, and he prescribes them narcotic pain medication, although its actual use varies from person to person depending on their ability to tolerate pain. The biggest no-no he sees patients do during their recovery is putting weight on the foot. Not only can this impede healing, it is just painful. “If they overdo it, they’ll know it,” he says. Joint SurgeryDr. Joseph Greene with Norton Orthopaedic Specialists says, the recovery process with hip surgery is usually easier than knee or shoulder surgery. However, all of these surgeries generally require at least of month of recovery. Most patients who have hip or knee surgery use a walker right after surgery and then gradually transition to a cane. <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate>Patients are given extensive education on what to do and not to do during their recovery period from joint surgery. Greene advises his patients to avoid certain positions so that the joint doesn’t become dislocated during recovery. Although his practice uses the anterior approach to hip surgery, which in general has less risk of joint dislocation there are certain positions to avoid as a precaution, he says. The biggest no-no in recovery is to stop attending physical therapy in the early stages. Greene says some patients who undergo knee surgery develop a limp prior to surgery because they are in pain, and they will maintain those limping habits because they have lost muscle mass. He stresses that “patients should become pretty religious about doing their home exercises.” It is critical to keep the joints moving and not let scar tissue form. <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate>Oral SurgeryDr. Kenneth Livesay with East Louisville Oral Surgery &amp; Dental Implants, PLC says the most common oral surgeries are often age-dependent. Younger patients typically have wisdom teeth removed or dental extractions, while patients over age 60 often have dental extractions, implants, pre-prosthetic surgery (to remove bone), or biopsies. Surprisingly, implants are almost to the point of drive-through service, he says, and most patients don’t even need to take pain relievers. The recovery time for extractions really depends on the number of teeth extracted and their nature. Patients who have wisdom teeth removed are seen by Livesay about a week after the surgery, while implant patients are usually not seen for a few months after surgery to allow bone to begin growing in and around the implant. <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate>Livesay instructs his patients to limit strenuous activity for five days following surgery and to avoid drinking from straws, especially if they’ve had an extraction. Proper healing requires that a blood clot form over the area where the bone is exposed, and activity or suction can dislodge that clot and lead to dry socket which leaves underlying nerves exposed and is very painful. For the first 24 hours after surgery, patients should use ice packs on the facial area near the extraction to control swelling , keep the head elevated, and do nothing in the mouth that might dislodge the clot (like brushing teeth). Warm salt water rinses and a soft diet are also important. By Carrie VittitoeP.S. Check out more do’s and don’ts from surgical recovery.</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

Especially for Cataract, Foot, Joints and Oral Surgery. We all know we should follow our doctor’s orders when preparing for and recovering from any kind of surgery, but that is often easier said than done. If we heal quickly, we may push our bodies too fast, too soon. If we feel rotten, we may not do our rehabilitation work as often as we should. In order to help us recover successfully, four Kentuckiana surgeons offer the dos and don’ts of recovery from cataract, foot, joint, and oral surgeries.