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The Best Heel Spur Surgery Recovery Techniques

 
Nidhi Nangia
By Nidhi Nangia. Updated: August 2, 2020
The Best Heel Spur Surgery Recovery Techniques

Many people complain of heel pain due to excellent ligament pull in the arch of their foot. Sometimes, this pain can be treated without surgery, but if all other methods fail, a heel spur surgery becomes a necessity. Once the surgery is done, people are concerned about their recovery. Patients are usually allowed to start walking on their feet immediately, but they are asked to limit their daily activities. Read this oneHOWTO article to find out effective heel spur surgery recovery techniques.

You may also be interested in: What Is a Calcaneal Heel Spur?

Recovery period after a heel spur surgery

During the first week, patients can walk on their feet only to use the washroom or any other emergency. Once their bandage is removed after 5 days, and a band-aid is placed over their incision site, they may be asked to wear a supportive walking gear. Some surgeons may ask the patient to use a crutch or cast to keep the foot protected. They remove the sutures after 10-15 days, after which they allow the patient to pour water on the foot. Resuming normal walking takes around 3 weeks, though with minimal inconvenience. When the patients are able to comfortably wear their old shoes, they are recommended to wear orthotics. As the surgery does not stop the spur from occurring again, which is why it is a nice idea to use orthotic shoe insterts after the surgery.

Taking care of the incision

In order to reduce any risk of infection, your surgeon will advise you to keep the incision dry for a certain period of time. You should follow the surgeon’s instructions carefully.

Never rub or scrub the incision, and do not remove any tapes unless your surgeon asks you to do so. Try to keep the incision protected from direct sunlight, and use the medications as and when prescribed.

In order to keep the incision dry, take a sponge bath to get clean instead of taking a bath or a shower. If you are really required to take a bath, cover the incision with a plastic bag to prevent water from it. Mild soreness, tingling, numbness, tenderness and itching are common around the incision. However, you should keep a watch on signs of infection, which include a green or yellow discharge, a change in size or odor, hardening or redness around the incision, fever, unbearable pain, or excessive bleeding soaking through the dressing.

Meeting a physiotherapist

Once you are allowed to move around, you can meet a physiotherapist who will teach you different exercises to strengthen your heel and recover it quickly. It is important to follow the instructions of the physiotherapist closely in order to avoid dislocation or further complication in the area.

It is normal to have some discomfort initially while walking or exercising, but over time, the things will improve and you will be able to get back to your normal routine.

The Best Heel Spur Surgery Recovery Techniques - Meeting a physiotherapist

Making changes around the house

If your bedroom is upstairs, you might not be able to climb them up and down after the surgery. So, try to use a bedroom on the ground floor. If your apartment is on an upper floor, try to stay at home for a few days once you are taken inside on a stature. The bedroom that you use should have a combined bathroom or near one. Try to line up your furniture in such a way that you can take their support while moving around after the surgery. There might be some equipment that you might need to use in your home, such as the following:

  • Shower seats
  • Elevated toilets
  • Crutches
  • supportive shoes etc.

Take care of your diet

Following a heel spur surgery, it is important to take care of your diet and eat healthy food. The food that you eat should be rich in iron, calcium, magnesium, vitamins and fiber. Nutrient rich food will help you stay healthy, feel active, and recover completely much earlier than otherwise. Your surgeon, physiotherapist or physician will ask you to not eat certain things for a few days, which you should follow religiously.

The Best Heel Spur Surgery Recovery Techniques - Take care of your diet

This article is merely informative, oneHOWTO does not have the authority to prescribe any medical treatments or create a diagnosis. We invite you to visit your doctor if you have any type of condition or pain.

If you want to read similar articles to The Best Heel Spur Surgery Recovery Techniques, we recommend you visit our Family health category.

Tips
  • Visit your doctor as soon as you can if you have any acute pain, sense a strange smell coming from your food, feel numbing or notice oozing from the wound.

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