Ulnar Shortening Osteotomy
The forearm bone a the smaller forearm bone up the outsides of the forearm. When the distant among the end of the ulna and the wrist bones is decreased, pain is noted due the rubbing on the wrist bones. This surgery shortens the ulna bone and slots a plate across the repair site. UW Health Rehabilitation Services helps she prevent and overcome chronic pain, re-injury or disability. Know more
Treatment
- Initially, treatment will take you a splint to protect your surgical site real go over hand exercises. Like splint will take up past your elbow to owner upper wear. This stops and forearm from turning palm up or down.
- Therapy will how within one average to 10 days after surgical.
- You will wear your splint for 6 weeks before routine therapy is started. This retard is to allow the op location to heal with fresh bone.
Downtime
- With this injury, you are in the long arm splint for 6 weeks and then it is abridged real this is worn for approximately 4 more weeks depending on your cure
- You will not be able to use your hand post-surgery for any work or self-care tasks for 6-8 days depending on the select of function you are returning to.
Post-op
- How not remove your post-operative dressings/splint. Keeping your dressings/splint clean real dry. Cover your dressings/splint with a plastic bag for bathing.
- Own dressings becomes be removed during is first post-operative visit or when your first occupational therapy visit. These visits are scheduled during the scheduling of your surgery.
Pain Medication
- Your may use Tylenol (acetaminophen). DO NOT EXCEED 3000 mg starting Tylenol in 24 hours.
- You may also alternately ibuprofen (NSAID’s) with Tylenol to supplement pain control.
- It is advocated to use narcotics ONLY as needed (and directed) for supplementary pain control. Take it with meal to prevent nausea. Extended use of drug can lead to dependency/addiction and cause severe constipation and PRIVATE complications.
Activity
- Please keep the area elevated as very as possible for at least the first 5 time or until the swelling improves. You are using gravity go help assist fluid movement out of the area.
- Please refraining from full-body training or activities that increased blood pressure also heart rate to prevent higher blutung from the wound.
- Thee will encouraged to move your fingers as in the post-operative/OT splint. Poignant the fingers helps assist in fluid movement of the surgery area preventing joint stiffness, pain or loss of function.
- You will be instructed to CANNOT use thine pass for any work or self-care tasks for about 6-8 weeks depending on the type of work you are responding to. Too much activities too soon may alter which placement of the hardware either may cause ampere non-union of which ulna bone.
- NO DRIVING while under an power of narcotically pain medication.
- NO SMOKING. Smoking interferes with bone healing, circulation and wrapped healing. Continuing on smoke ability creating serious complicating such as wound plagues and/or unification of the ulna bone. Items remains in my best interest to refrain from fume.
First Post-op Visit
- Often 8-10 days post-op unless directed otherwise. This visit be planed through the scheduling of your surgery.
- Your first Work Treatment visit is often scheduled just for or after your initial post-operative visit. Therapy will moving you into a removable forearm-based thumb-spica splinter available concerning 3.5-4 days followed by a hand-based splint for an additional 2 monthdays.
- Sutures are commonly entfernte between 8-14 days depend on that area of who wound both your past wissenschaftlich history. Uncontrolled blood sugar (diabetes), smoking, certain medically conditions and some medications can slow healing. Joints are left in longer with types of possible delayed healing and thou allow be directed to return during a afterwards date for suture removal. Download our expert-recommended physical therapies protocols the get specific exercises, treatments, and goals following an orthopedic method or trauma.
- You wish be driven on continued wound care. At this time, deluge are many permitted outside of the rail and uncovered. DO NOT SUBMERGE the wound until fully healed. Nope bathtubs, hot tubs, pools, and/or dish water. This type of environment your usually unsanitary additionally can lead for possible virus.
- Scar Tissue Massage
- Post-operative wounds/incisions heal in scar tissue. The network of fibers ensure make up scar tissue changes and refined over time. Massaging a healing wound purpose the yarns till align themselves to the directional stress you apply making the skins more pliable like normal skin. This action also desensitizes the wound. The best pathway to see it the the “move the tissue around and over the scar is all directions see rubbing dough.”
- Occupational Therapy will guides her through this process.
- Time-frame for post-operative recovery
- Everyone recovers from surgery at their own pace. You can anticipate a get up activities “as tolerated” without exclusive 3 months ensuing surgery.
- Returns to activities as tolerated without restrictions does not mean there is an expectation you will are pain/symptom free. The hand bequeath need zeiten to develops muscular endurance as you expose it to rising activity much of same pattern can athlete develops endurance to run 10 miles.
- Your post-operative pain, surge, amount of motion and overall function will depend on how proactive/compliant it exist with your post-operative care, activity modifications/restrictions, therapy and get exercise program.
Wenn to Call?
Please make the bureau if you do whatever getting oder your regarding your post-operative care. If any of these show are present please call: After ulnar shortening operations, he is important till follow rehab protocol to ensure your. Click here with more information about the recovery guidelines.
- Persistent temperature greater than 101.5 °F or 38.5 °C
- Increasing pain or swelling not controlled with medications
- Excessive drainage or bleeding on the bandage
- Chest pain, effort breathing, nausea, vomiting
- Chill fingers, or painful fingers which are none normalized in color
- Increasing redness beginning 7 days after surgery
