Postoperative Pain

The three strikes of foot and ankle surgery all contribute to pain after surgery; they are:

1) Swelling - nothing is further below the heart so gravity holds fluid pressure in the foot causing increased pain. Therefore elevation of the foot above the level of the heart is very important, especially in the first few days. Make sure your knee is bent and remember that the lower your shoulders are the easier it is to get your foot above the heart.

2) Sensitivity - just like your hands, your feet have a lot of sensation so, compared to some other parts of your body, you may have more pain after surgery than you expected.

3) Shoes - this is for the more long term - after surgery your feet will be swollen and sensitive, often for many months. Tender scars and swollen tissue press up against your shoes and may significantly limit your ability to perform your occupation or activities of daily living.

Other Hints:

If narcotic pain medication has been prescribed (Vicodin, Darvocet, Tylenol with Codeine), begin taking it as soon as the numbness begins to wear off, then take it regularly especially in the first 1-2 days. I recommend setting your alarm clock for your next dose on the first night after the surgery.

Never take Tylenol (acetominophen) along with Vicodin or Darvocet since they have a full dose of Tylenol already. However your can supplement narcotic pain medications with ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) at the recommended doses.

Pain responses vary from person to person but most people are uncomfortable for the first few days after surgery. Call me if your pain is out of control in spite of elevation and pain medications, or if your pain is worse on the third day than it was at first - it may be a sign of infection. I generally do not recommend going to the Emergency Room unless you have been unable to contact the Podiatrist on-call and it is truly emergent.

Contact info -

During clinic hours call (707) 651-1051 and follow the prompts for Dr. Williams. If you can't get a real person you may call me directly at 651-3338. If you get my phone mail make sure to leave your Kaiser number and consider hitting 0 then # to be connected to my medical assistant.

After hours

Call the hospital operator (707) 651-1051 and ask them to page the podiatrist on-call. Make sure you tell them that Dr. Williams explicitly told you to do this if they are hesitant. During regular business hours you may call the clinic at 651-1051 or call me directly at 651-3338. If you get my phonemail push 0 then the # key and you will be connected to a medical assistant. Make sure to leave your Kaiser number if you are leaving a message.

Disclaimer
If you think you have a MEDICAL OR PSYCHIATRIC EMERGENCY, CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY or go to the nearest hospital. DO NOT attempt to access emergency care through this web site. An emergency medical condition is a medical or psychiatric condition that manifests itself by acute symptoms of sufficient severity (including severe pain) such that you could reasonably expect the absence of immediate medical attention to result in any of the following: serious jeopardy to your health, serious impairment to your bodily functions, or serious dysfunction of any bodily organ or part. An emergency medical condition is also "active labor," which means a labor when there is inadequate time for safe transfer to a Plan hospital (or designated hospital) before delivery or if a transfer poses a threat to the health of the member or unborn child.

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