Day Surgery Leaflet: Surgery to the Foot

Surgery to the Foot: You will be going home on the day of your surgery after you are able to eat and drink and have passed urine. You would stay in the hospital for a minimum of an hour for observations. You will need a responsible adult to pick you up from the hospital and stay with you overnight.

Leaflet Details

Patient Information

After your surgery

• You will be going home on the day of your surgery after you are able to eat and drink and have passed urine. You would stay in the hospital for a minimum of one to two hours for observations. You will need a responsible adult to pick you up from the hospital and stay with you overnight.

Dressings

For reconstructive foot surgery:

• You will have skin dressings covered with bulky dressings (wool and crepe) on your foot. These needs to be kept dry and intact until you are seen in clinic. You can use any waterproof material to cover them when having a bath or a shower.

For excision of lesions / neuroma:

• You will have bulky dressings (wool and crepe) over the skin dressings; you need to remove the bulky dressings after 48 hours.
   
• You have a waterproof dressing over your wounds. This needs to be kept clean and dry for 7-10 days or until seen in clinic. You can have a shower after 48 hours but not a bath for at least 2 weeks. Please change the dressings with spare ones provided if they get dirty or wet. When changing the dressing, you need to peel the dressings off and apply the new ones without touching the wound. Wash your hands before and after.

Bleeding

• Occasionally, you may notice some bleeding seeping through the dressings. You need to keep your legs highly elevated and it should settle down. If the bleeding does not settle after an hour or so, you need to either contact the Rowley Bristow clinic or attend a walk in centre near you.

Stitches

You may have stitches to close the wound.

• Dissolvable stitches can take a few weeks / months to dissolve.
   
• Non-dissolvable stitches need to be removed between 10-14 days’ time. These will be removed in the hospital during your follow up outpatient appointment. If your hospital appointment is longer than 2 weeks, you may need to make an appointment with your practice nurse to have the stitches removed.

Footwear

• You will be given specific shoe/s to wear for a period of time. This will depend on the type of surgery you had. These can either be a heel weight bearing shoe or a flat trauma shoe. It is important that you wear these as instructed. Your surgeon will let you know how long you would need them for and this will be discussed during your discharge. You can remove the shoes when sitting down or sleeping at night.
   
• Occasionally, your surgeon may suggest using supportive pair of trainers which you may already have. You need to carry on using them until seen in clinic.

Crutches

• For specific procedures, you will be given crutches to use at home with your footwear. You will be given verbal and practical instructions before your discharge. You can also refer to “Using Your Elbow Crutches: Full, Protected and Partial Weight Bearing” leaflet for further instructions on how to use them.

Elevation

• You must keep both legs highly elevated for two weeks after reconstructive foot surgery. You must keep your walking to a minimum and use the shoes / crutches when you do so.
   
• For any other type of foot surgery, you need to keep both legs elevated for at least 48- 72 hours.

Exercises

• You may have been given instructions on exercises during your clinic appointment before your surgery. These exercises need to be started as soon as you are able and continued until further instructions from your surgeon.

Pain

• It is common to have pain on the wound. Please take regular pain relief until this wears off.

Activities

• You need to take it easy for a couple of weeks. You can walk short distances at home but you must limit long distance walking.
   
• You should not drive for 6-8 weeks or until instructed by your surgeon.
   
• Depending on the type of job that you do, you can return to work in 2-4 weeks or as advised by your surgeon. It is advisable to check with your insurance company as they may have different policies.

Blood clot prevention

• It is important that you resume normal activities as advised and keep active. You must wear the anti-embolic stockings given to you for 7 days, both during the day and at night. They can be removed while you have a shower and applied again afterwards. The stockings can be applied on your operated leg once the bulky dressings have come off.
   
• You may have been given a blood thinning injection either during or after surgery. These help prevent blood clots such as in the leg (deep vein thrombosis) or the lung (pulmonary embolus). Depending on your medical risk factors, you may need to have this injection for a few days at home. You will be given instructions on how to administer them by your nurse.

Follow up appointment

• You will have a follow-up appointment in the outpatient clinic in 2 weeks. An appointment letter will be sent to you with the details by the orthopaedic office.

What to watch out for:

Please contact your GP if:

• The area looks inflamed, hot to touch, and you have a temperature as these are signs of infection
   
• If you need further pain relief

Please attend Accident and Emergency department if:

• There is significant swelling on your foot and the dressings feels very tight
   
• The sensation on your toes changes i.e. it becomes numb, painful or extremely cold
   
• The pain becomes severe and unmanageable
   
• The bleeding from the wound becomes excessive and uncontrolled

Useful contact numbers:

• Day Surgery Unit Ashford hospital 01784 884609 or 01784 884189 between 8am-9pm Monday to Friday
   
• Dickens ward 01784 884004 or Swan ward 01932 723220 after 9pm, weekends and bank holidays
   
• Orthopaedic office / Rowley Bristow Clinic 01932 722730 for appointment queries

If you feel unwell and needed urgent medical care, please go to your nearest Accident and Emergency Department immediately and bring your discharge letter with you.