After a foot or ankle surgery, one can only start dreaming of the day he will regain full mobility. There are some proven ways in which you can achieve this. However, you should at least have a go-ahead from your doctor and have passed the severe recovery phase, and the post-surgery pain should have reduced. The following tips will guide you through ways in which you can recover your foot's mobility after surgery.
Use The Right Footwear
After the surgery, when it comes to footwear, don't just choose shoes for aesthetic purpose only. They should be comfortable and should be able to support your bones and your foot's muscles. If you are having trouble getting a soft shoe in your regular shoe store, try finding that which sell shoes for people with foot problems which you can get recommendations from your doctor or find more info from https://www.patienthandling.com.au/. When choosing the right shoe, look for one that has the following:
● The shoe should not be too tight or press your toes. This means that it should be wide
● And long enough
● Choose a shoe with a good sole that will not make you slip or fall. The best sole that will achieve this is a rubber sole.
● High heels and flat shoes are a big no when you want quick recovery from foot surgery. The latter exert stress on your heel and ankle while high heels can make you fall and hurt your foot more. A chunky heel which should be ½ or a max of 1 inch thick would be more appropriate.
● Buy a shoe that holds well onto your foot will laces or straps. This avoids the shoes coming off or you dragging your foot to keep the shoe on when walking.
● Most importantly, buy, and when you buy the shoe, do it in the afternoon or rather when it is hot. This is because, with the rise in temperature, feet tend to swell
Use Important Footgear
If you have undergone foot surgery, you need to use the right gear to align your toes or foot during recovery. Gears like toe socks are essential in achieving this as avoid the toes sticking tight together. Other gears like metatarsal pads and Strutz foot pads help restore the foot's muscle balance and reposition the front foot fat pad so that it can support the metatarsal bones' heads.
Do Some Exercises
After a foot or leg surgeries, the mistake that most people make is getting used to walking with crutches, wheelchairs, and knee walkers. Though they help in the more natural movement, they never help in quick recovery.
Try walking or running using the right gear and footwear. Better even, if your doctor allows you, try walking barefoot on safe grounds. This helps your foot regain essential foot muscles, which, due to relaxing of the foot during healing become dormant.
There are also various mobility exercises that come in handy after surgeries, and to know more about such equipment that can help you speed up the flexibility click here. The exercises can be done with the help of such equipment and you can gain flexibility, which otherwise if lost, can have long term effects on your movement. They include:
● Intrinsic Foot Exercises
● Ball rolling exercises
● Big toe stretch
● Hammertoe stretch
● Toe extensor stretch
Look For Other Types Of Therapies
There are other complementary therapies that you can undergo that will, in the long run, help you achieve quick healing. These include, but are not limited to, chiropractic practices, physical therapies, and yoga. You should, however, get a green light from your doctor because unless you have passed the acute healing stage, too much physical touch or straining of the foot is not advised.