Welcome to my site, my name is Jess Indaja. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes after struggling with my weight throughout my teen years and adulthood. My doctor informed me about all of the dangers associated with my diet and exercise habits. I was encouraged to change the way I ate and moved in an effort to reverse my blood sugar problem. I made the changes, but still struggle with controlling my blood sugar. After going through this trying situation, I decided to make a site that may help others with problems associated with type 2 diabetes. I will discuss diagnostic procedures, treatments and medical research concerning this disease. I hope you visit often and learn all you can to control your type 2 diabetes or help others with this condition.
Getting elbow surgery can feel like a major hassle because it reduces the amount of use that you get out of your arm and can be very painful. One way to make the rehabilitation process and healing process go more smoothly is to actively control your swelling. Here are some tips for controlling the swelling in your elbow after surgery.
1. Keep Your Elbow Elevated
For the first few weeks after your surgery, try to keep your elbow elevated so that it is above your heart whenever possible. The reason why keeping your elbow elevated reduces the pain that you might feel in your elbow after surgery is because, when your elbow is elevated, less blood is rushing to your elbow, reducing the amount of swelling that you experience. This will keep your pain levels under control.
When you sleep, try to sleep so that your elbow is above your head, on top of the pillows. This reduces the chances that you will inadvertently move your elbow beneath your heart while you are sleeping because it will be very inconvenient for you, while sleeping, to do so. When you are sitting and watching TV, stack a pile of books or other items next to you so that your arm is just above your heart. Place a cushion on top of the pile and set your arm on the pile. When you are walking around, make sure that you keep your arm in a sling and take frequent breaks so that you can rest and elevate your arm.
2. Ice Your Elbow
When you apply an ice pack to your elbow, the blood cells contract, making it difficult for more blood to rush to your arm. Try to ice your arm two or three times a day for as long as the ice pack stays cold. Use a pack that is moldable so that you can target the specific area of your elbow. Consider using a bag of frozen peas if you do not have a moldable ice pack. This should be done in conjunction with elevating your arm. If the swelling does not abate because of the ice pack, consider switching between a hot pack and a cold pack every fifteen minutes in order to expand the blood cells to allow the blood to leave your arm while it is elevated before contracting the blood cells with the cold pack.
For more information, talk to your orthopedic surgeon, or visit websites like http://www.towncenterorthopaedics.com.
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