Hand Surgery Post-Operative Instructions
Instructions
Activities
Incision Care
What To Expect
Appearance
Follow-Up Care
When To Call
- Have someone drive you home after surgery and help you at home for 1-2 days.
- Get plenty of rest.
- Follow balanced diet.
- Decreased activity may promote constipation, so you may want to add more raw fruit to your diet, and be sure to increase fluid intake.
- Take pain medication as prescribed. Do not take aspirin or any products containing aspirin unless approved by your surgeon.
- Do not drink alcohol when taking pain medications.
- Even when not taking pain medications, no alcohol for 3 weeks as it causes fluid retention.
- If you are taking vitamins with iron, resume these as tolerated.
- Do not smoke, as smoking delays healing and increases the risk of complications.
Activities
- Start walking as soon as possible, this helps to reduce swelling and lowers the chance of blood clots.
- Do not drive until you are no longer taking any pain medications (narcotics).
- No heavy lifting.
- Unless stated on this form, discuss your time off work with your surgeon.
Incision Care
- Avoid exposing scars to sun for at least 12 months.
- Always use a strong sunblock, if sun exposure is unavoidable (SPF 30 or greater).
- If you have a soft dressing, it will remain on x 3 days (this may vary with surgeons).
- Keep incisions clean and inspect daily (after the 3rd day) for signs of infection.
What To Expect
- If you are in a cast or a splint, it is to remain on until your post op appointment
- May have mild to severe pain following surgery.
- Recovery may take months.
- Your doctor may recommend rehabilitation under the direction of a trained hand therapist. Therapy may include hand exercises, heat and massage therapy, electrical nerve stimulation, traction, splints and special wrappings to control swelling.
Appearance
- The scar should gradually fade.
Follow-Up Care
- Hand therapy, if recommended by your doctor.
When To Call
- If you have increased swelling or bruising.
- If swelling and redness persist after a few days.
- If you have increased redness along the incision.
- If you have severe or increased pain not relieved by medication.
- If you have any side effects to medications; such as, rash, nausea, headache, vomiting.
- If you have an oral temperature over 100.4 degrees.
- If you have any yellowish or greenish drainage from the incisions or notice a foul odor.
- If you have bleeding from the incisions that is difficult to control with light pressure.
- If you have loss of feeling or motion.