Scoliosis Surgery Recovery at Home

Clothing

Some things seem completely obvious, while others only surface after you try doing it  in some  manner that doesn’t quite work out – or requires a call to 9-1-1 to extricate you…  Shirts, for instance.  T-shirts seem like a good  idea initially.  Comfortable, simple, easy to get in and out of…  Think about it now. Is that last phrase actually true?

If you’re in top condition – perhaps.  But how many Scoli patients are in top condition?  What if you’re barely able to balance?  Also, what if you’re not to lift your elbows above your shoulders?  How’s that going to work out for you, Speedy?

My recommendation is for button-front shirts.  They’re easy to get in to and out of.  And if you miss a button – or are off by a button – people just feel sorry for you.  Could be worse…

Socks

For edema (swelling) control, which is common when your activity level is low and you’ve been pumped full of fluids in the hospital, there are several options available, from Ace Bandages (There’s a fashion statement) to Compression Socks or just plain old dress socks.

Ace Bandages have the advantage of being reusable for lots of things (misbehaving kids, barking dogs, bedroom games…)  But pretty they are Not.  And if you wrap them too tight, you can easily do more harm than good.

Compression Socks.  These come in a variety of colors from several manufacturers, like Futuro, Maxar, McDavid, Jobst, Fromm and several more.  Now while these will certainly reduce foot, ankle and calf swelling, my experience is that it will take 3 people, a chain hoist and a fair amount of cussing to get them on.  And getting them off?  A pair of scissors works best.  But at a price range of $11 to $58 bucks each, that can add up pretty quick.

And then there’s my approach:  Good old-fashioned (well not in my case) snug-fitting dress socks.  Get them in over-the-calf length and they will provide enough compression to keep the edema in check.  I’m a big fan of tonsofsocks.com.  Their selection is really fun, prices reasonable and quality superb.  I own dozens of them.  Double check all this with our Doctor before making the big decision, of course.

I’ve also found that once the swelling is down, flip-flops, while not my usual fashion statement, are easy to get into and out of.  However…  You do need to be careful you don’t trip over your own feet when wearing them…  And they’re not terribly practical in Winter (most places).