Recently, I had a total hip replacement. Like, five days ago recently. Well, it was five days when I started penning this post. It needed to be done for some time; a familial problem. At least two, if not three, of my siblings already had the surgery. Also, retail pharmacy has its consequences; being on your feet for twelve hour days doesn’t help. Fortunately, circumstances provided the opportunity and I decided to comply.
Hip replacement has come a long way over the years. Yeah, baby! My procedure was done anteriorly rather than posteriorly. Translation – the doctor went in through the front/side of the hip instead of the back. Therefore, less large muscle groups were involved. I have a nice ass. So, salvaging that was a necessity. Still, I had a total hip replacement. Beating the shit out of the lower half of the body will definitely yield pain and … swelling.
Yikes!
My discharge instructions were lengthy. And, I read them all. No lie, okay. This was important. I needed to be prepared to ensure proper recovery. Since I am a medical professional and quite active, the majority of the instructions were routine. I haven’t had a major surgery in some time, but I’ve had my share of injuries. So, I knew what worked for me. Unfortunately, I have never been an icer. Translation – I rarely use ice. To me, it seemed pointless and messy; one of those details I decided to forgo. My lack of patience never warranted the concept.
Ice and post-surgery swelling
- cold compresses or ice packs can be helpful when dealing with post-surgery swelling
- swelling occurring after surgery is going to disappear within days or weeks
- the application of cold or heat compresses is beneficial in speeding up the swelling healing process
Ah, hindsight! Ugh!
How ice packs work
The application of ice onto the post-surgery bruises –
- lowers the temperature of injured tissues
- constricts the blood vessels
- inhibits supply to injured site
Hence, applying cold compress or ice pack onto the post-surgical swelling is beneficial in speeding up the healing process.
the best time to use ice with swelling
- maximum benefits for non-numb swelling if applied for the first 24 to 48 hours. This is the period when the resulted swelling is still severe and large.
- after the first 48 hours, the compresses can be alternated between warm and ice compresses.
- compresses can be applied 4 to 5 times a day, but be alert not to get the skin burnt.
If the swelling turns into bruises, heat pack or warm compress should be applied, rather than the cold one. Heat pack is going to promote sufficient blood supply to the bruises, bringing more oxygen to reduce the bruising appearance.
The ice ship for me has long sailed. Needless to say, I swelled a-l-o-t. Fuck! So much so, it felt like my foot was ready to explode. The Hunan Body and it’s intricacies never cease to amaze me. It was crazy ass shit watching my foot swell to that capacity. That night, I think I went to the bathroom, like, seven times – ugh! The next morning my swelling was reduced. No sure if icing would’ve prevented that debacle, but I have learned my lesson.
n-Ice!
I just better mot get stretch marks.
