Tag Archives: self-care

shoulder surgery

Self Care: Safe Dressing Following Shoulder Surgery / Injury

- Blog, Shoulder

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When recovering from shoulder surgery, it can be difficult to dress and undress without assistance. With the help of one of our trusted Certified Hand Therapists (CHT) they have compiled a list of tips to get dressed safely and independently while recovering.  It is highly recommended that you follow the instructions prescribed by your surgeon or attending physician.

DRESSING

Upper Body
• Bend forward at your hips and let your affected arm dangle loosely forward
• Always dress the affected arm through the sleeve of your shirt first
• Proceed to dress the unaffected arm

Lower Body
• One handed techniques to don socks: touch all fingers to your thumb, then slide the sock over your hand. Spread your fingers apart to open the sock and slide it onto the foot

Bra
• Clip the bra from the front and as low as possible to your waist. Guide the bra enclosure towards your back. Slide the strap over the affected arm and then slide

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GROOMING

• Bend forward at the hips and dangle arm in order to clean and apply deodorant

These post shoulder surgery dressing tips were provided by The Hale Hand Center, with locations in Melbourne and Rockledge, FL. The Hale Hand Center offers both physical therapy and certified hand therapy services, as well as provides custom splinting. More information about The Hale Hand Center can be found on their website here.

Taking Care of Your Scar

Self-Care: Taking Care of Your Scar at Home

- Blog, General Information

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Taking care of your scar well is an important aspect of your recovery from surgery. You must follow your surgeon’s order faithfully.This includes keeping it dry and covered as long as your doctor tells you it is necessary. If your scar becomes excessively red or painful, notify your doctor or therapist.

scar

When you doctor tells you it is safe, you will need to start treating your scar at home. This is important because excessive scarring can lead to restricted movement and pain. The best approach to controlling your scar formation is to use your hands to free up skin around your scar. Rubbing Vitamin E oil or cocoa butter into your hands before massaging will also help your skin heal.

This information about taking care of your scar was written by Plymouth Physical Therapy Specialists, an outpatient physical therapy group with fourteen locations in the surrounding Plymouth, Michigan area. At Plymouth Physical Therapy Specialists, they are committed to using evidence-based treatments in their practice. This means that their therapists utilize the most current and clinically relevant treatments in their approach to rehabilitation. For more information click here.