The patient/caregiver was educated on measures to promote safety and reduce the workload during immediate post-surgical phase as follows:
- Sit down comfortably while dressing, undressing, putting shoes on, and taking shoes off. Individuals can present with poor balance during the immediate phase of knee replacement surgery. Performing these above-mentioned tasks while standing can compromise their balance further, thus increasing the fall risk for the individual. Have all the apparel and shoe accessories ready by your side before sitting down to wear them can help avoid multiple trips and frequent getting up to gather them, thus reducing the stress on the aching weightbearing joints. While putting the apparel on, place the surgical limb into the clothing first, followed by the good limb. While getting off the apparel, get the good limb out of the clothing first, followed by the surgical limb. This pattern helps have the good limb freely available, for any extra support needed during maneuvering the surgical limb into and out of clothing.
- The dressing stick can be used to put the pants on without bending much. Be comfortably seated and put the dressing stick through the surgical leg opening to hold it wide open and put the surgical leg in first. The dressing stick could then be inserted into the second leg opening to hold it wide open and put the second leg in. Then, you can pull the pants a little up the knee, stand straight up and pull the pants into place.
- The dressing stick can also be used to remove the pants off without bending much. While in standing position, loosen the pant at the waist and drop the pant down below the knee. Then, be comfortably seated and put the dressing stick through the good leg opening to hold it wide open and pull the good leg out first. The dressing stick could then be inserted into the surgical leg opening to hold it wide open and pull the surgical leg out too.
- Using a dressing stick can help pull the sock off the foot and prevent bending down. Insert the dressing stick between your leg and the sock on the side of your leg, slide the stick slowly to the back of the leg, and push it off of the back of the heel.
