Occupational Therapy Can Help Manage Pain Post Surgery

By Julie McCormick, Co-Owner | May 24, 2023 | Comments Off on Occupational Therapy Can Help Manage Pain Post Surgery
Occupational Therapy Clark County VA

Occupational Therapy Clark County VA

When seniors come home from the hospital after a surgery they may be in pain for quite some time. While their doctor will probably send them home with medication to help offset the pain sometimes the medication that is given isn’t effective enough to alleviate all the pain. In some cases, seniors may not be able to tolerate prescription pain killers so they may need to rely on other methods to manage their pain. Amongst occupational therapy, here are a few other things that can help alleviate their pain.

Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy is something that many seniors do regularly because the exercises help them maintain their strength and flexibility. When seniors come home from an extended hospital stay where they were in bed for that whole time because of their surgery they often start to lose muscle mass and flexibility. That can cause them to be in pain from not using their muscles, especially if their doctor wants them to start getting up and walking after they get home. Occupational therapy at home can help seniors recover from their surgery and manage their muscle pain while it helps them get strong again.

An Anti-Inflammatory Diet

Sometime pain after surgery is caused by the body’s inflammation response. When surgery occurs that can trigger a major inflammatory response in the body, and so can changes to your senior parent’s usual routine and foods. Eating an anti-inflammatory diet full of leafy green vegetables and spices like turmeric which relieve pain and stop the body’s natural inflammatory response can help relieve pain and help seniors feel more comfortable as they recover from a surgery or a major medical event like a heart attack or a stroke.

Topical Pain Relivers

Topical pain relievers that are applied to the skin directly can be more effective than some oral medications for pain relief. Seniors who are struggling with back pain or muscle pain should try topical creams and roll ons that contain pain relievers like capsaicin and lidocaine. These pain relievers enter the body through the skin and can do a great job relieving pain without any kind of narcotic effect. If your senior parent is going to take prescription painkillers they should check with their doctor to make sure that topical pain relievers are ok to use in conjunction with prescription painkillers. It’s a good idea to consult the doctor about using any over the counter oral pain medications with topical pain reliever just be sure.

Heat And Cold Therapy

Hot and cold therapy is a classic because it works. Alternately applying hot and cold packs to the affected areas in 15 minute increments can soothe muscles and increase the blood flow to the affected area which can decrease pain. As always, check with the doctor to make sure that hot and cold therapy is appropriate for the impacted area of the body after surgery. If there is any pain or redness at the incision site call the doctor immediately.

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring Occupational Therapy in Clark County, VA, please contact the caring staff at LivinRite Home Care. Call Us Today at (703) 634-9991. Serving Northern Virginia, The Valley, and Surrounding Communities.

Julie McCormick, Co-Owner
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