It is natural for children to be hyper and be physically proactive. They need vigorous activities where they can unleash their energies. At the same time, these activities help them develop their bodies, from muscle building to bone strengthening. It also develops their social skills and emotional intelligence.
However, as hyper kids and careless kids, they are prone to accidents, like what happened to my ten-year-old son. A simple twist and fall during the play led to a broken foot.
Thankfully, his condition was not severe as per his orthopaedic doctor in Singapore, yet his injury still needed proper care while recovering at home.
To my fellow parents who are taking care of their child's minor orthopaedic injuries or after a Singapore orthopaedic surgery, here are a few of my post-care tips for you.
First and foremost, you cannot do all the aftercare tips without the guidance of your orthopaedic doctor in Singapore.
Before our doctor sent my ten-year-old son for home recovery, he instructed us to visit him a week after for follow-up care. He also gave instructions regarding the medications that should be taken within the week.
Why are follow-up checkups important? Your orthopaedic doctor in Singapore evaluates the progress of your child's foot condition every checkup. They would make changes in medications based on their assessments. They can also determine when your child can remove the splints and cast or use crutches through the physical checkup.
It is vital not to miss these details, especially if your child underwent Singapore orthopaedic surgery. This information is essential for recovery.
Parents must be familiar with the RICE, which stands for rest, ice, compression, and elevation. But here, we will add the P, which means protection.
The PRICE treatment is essential in managing the symptoms of a broken foot and Singapore orthopaedic surgery. The symptoms include pain, redness, tenderness, and swelling.
For protection, first, you need to follow your doctor's instructions regarding the cast and splint. Your doctor may advise you not to remove the cast or splint in the first few weeks.
Rest is vital for recovery. As much as possible, restrain your kid from moving around for the first few days.
You can put an ice bag near the injured area to reduce the swelling. You can do the ice treatment for 10 to 20 minutes every hour each day. You can do this until the swelling is gone. I also made sure not to wet the cast. I used an extra cloth to cover my son's skin.
During bedtime, make sure that the injured foot is elevated. For my son, I tried stacking three pillows at the edge of his bed where he can put his broken foot for elevation. I made sure that the height of the pillows is above his heart. Elevating the broken foot reduces swelling and pain. You can do the PRICE treatment on the first three days of the injury. You can consult your foot doctor in Singapore for more details about the PRICE treatment.
Our foot doctor in Singapore told me that putting pressure on the foot may impair the healing of the injury, so he advised my son to use crutches whenever he is moving around.
Instead of his feet, the crutches carried the weight of my son's body whenever he was walking and standing. He used crutches for at least two weeks after the injury, and it helped him move around.
We also refrained from wearing shoes and boots. Shoes and boots squeeze my son's feet. We resorted to more open flip-flops to cover and protect his injured feet when going outdoors.
My son took his activity slowly, from moving around the house to going outdoors, as per the recommendation of his orthopaedic doctor in Singapore.
The last thing we did when my son was slowly regaining his foot control was to visit a physical therapist. We consulted a professional physical therapist for exercise and massage programmes that could improve the mobility and strength of my son's injured foot.
Thankfully, most of the exercises are easy to learn and can be done at home. The physical therapists taught me specific massages and exercises that we should do according to the schedule.
My advice to my fellow parents is to consult a physiotherapist and not imitate the messages you see on YouTube. The exercises vary depending on the type of injury, and it requires a physiotherapist's assessment first to determine the appropriate massage and exercise programme.
Your foot doctor in Singapore may refer you to a professional physiotherapist.
Specialist Orthopaedic Centre provides orthopaedic care and foot and ankle treatment for children and adults. Is your child suffering from a broken foot? Request an appointment with the Specialist Orthopaedic Centre.
