After surgery

This section explains what you can expect after surgery:

  • Right after surgery
  • Care after anesthesia
  • Managing your pain
  • At home
  • When to call your doctor
  • Getting in and out of a bed or chair
  • How to care for an incision and dressing

Videos

How to use canes, crutches and walkers after surgery

After surgery, you will likely need to use equipment to help your recovery or an assistive device to help you move.

This 12-minute video shows how to safely walk, use stairs and stand with a cane, crutch or walker.

Pain management

These four videos review pain expectations, rating your pain, pain treatment options and home pain management.

Watch all four modules

Regional anesthesia for post-operative pain control

This 24-minute video explains what a peripheral nerve block is and how you can use it to control pain in the hospital and after you return home.

Watch the full video or in two- to three-minute segments.

Source: Allina Health's Patient Education Department, Surgery: What You Need to Know, surg-ah-21686
First Published: 01/15/2011
Last Reviewed: 11/25/2019