Chad Hosemann, MD
Post Operative Instructions: Elbow
Immediate Post Op: The first few days after surgery will be a little rough. You won’t feel good and you
will be hurting. Just stay on your pain medication, limit your activity, and elevate your elbow on several
pillows. Utilize your pain medication. Drink as much water as you can and get on a good daily
multivitamin. Eat whatever you want; your body will need the extra nutrients to heal. Anesthetic and
pain medication often cause constipation; I recommend taking an over the counter stool softener such
as Colace. Nausea is common post operatively; if it lingers past the first day, give me a call and we will
call you in some anti-nausea medication. Usually, the nausea will improve on its own after a day or so.
Take your pain medication at night and try to sleep. Elbow patients may prefer sleeping in a recliner or
propped up on several pillows for comfort. Hang in there and you will get much better after the first few
days.
Post Operative Pain: Unless allergic, you will be given either Norco or Percocet for pain. Take one or
two of these every 6 hours. Don’t forget to take some before you go to sleep or you will wake up in pain.
Patients experiencing significant pain may even want to set an alarm in the night when it is time for
another dose so you don’t get behind on your pain control. These medications contain Tylenol, so do not
take additional Tylenol and do not take over the recommended dosage. Oxycodone will also be given for
“breakthrough” pain. You may alternate these medications every 3 hours or so (2 Norco then one
oxycodone 3 hours later, than 2 Norco three hours later etc.) to provide optimal pain relief, however,
you should be off of the oxycodone within a few days after surgery. Please utilize your pain medication
for physical therapy. Take a dose 30 minutes prior to your therapy session to get the optimal results
from therapy with the least amount of discomfort. Pain medication will not be called in after normal
business hours or on the weekends so please ensure you contact the office immediately if you are
running out and in need of a refill going into a weekend or holiday.
Slings/Splints: Splints placed in the OR are sterile. Please leave your splint on and keep it clean and dry
until clinic. If it happens to get wet, please call me immediately and come in for a splint change. When
dressing, just keep your arm by your side as if you had a sling on. Do not use your arm to lift or pull
anything. Stay in your sling when up and about.
Driving: You cannot drive until you are off of pain medication and can comfortably operate a vehicle. If
you are in a splint/sling, you will be unable to drive safely. Please make arrangements to have someone
drive you until cleared by me.
Wound Care: If you are not placed in a splint after surgery, you may remove your dressing on post
operative day #3 (e.g. surgery on Tuesday can remove dressing on Friday etc.). You may begin showering
then. Let the water run over your incision but do not scrub it or soap it. Gently pat the area dry and
recover with a clean dry gauze dressing you can get at your local drug store. Do not take baths, hot tubs,
swim, or submerge the incision until cleared by me in clinic. You may have “steri strips” over your
incision. If so, leave them on if possible until clinic. Do not put anything on the incision such as
Neosporin etc. Be mindful of the signs and symptoms of infection. Some swelling and redness around an
incision is normal, but increased redness, drainage, or pain is concerning. Please do not hesitate to call
the clinic with any questions you may have about wound care. We will normally remove your sutures or
staples at your 2 week post operative visit.
Physical Therapy: I hope in our pre-operative visits, I have stressed to you the importance of physical
therapy. Depending on your surgery, physical therapy may start immediately or several weeks after
surgery. I am a true believer that post operative therapy is the key to a successful outcome after
orthopaedic surgery. You must do your part to ensure a successful outcome, and unfortunately, the old
adage “no pain, no gain” applies here. Please take advantage of modern day pain medication and utilize
your pain medication before and after PT. You will get more out of each session and your overall post
operative recovery will be quicker and easier if your therapist is able to push you a little more through
the first few weeks of post operative pain. It is important to listen to your therapists. These people know
what they are doing and will follow established post operative protocols to slowly guide you to a full
recovery. I cannot stress to you enough the importance of therapy in your recovery process!
Questions: My staff and I are always here for you to answer any questions. Please do not hesitate to call
the office with any questions at 601-987-8200. After hours or on the weekends, myself or one of my
partners will be on call 24-7 to answer any questions you may have.
I am honored that you chose me and my staff to assist you with getting through this difficult time in your
life. Hang in there, stay positive, and set yourself goals for your therapy. Healing from an orthopaedic
surgery is a several month process so do not get frustrated. Rest assured that I have done my absolute
best in the operating room to help you recover from this injury. With the proper healing time and post
operative rehabilitation, it is my hope that you will have a full recovery. May God bless you in your
recovery and see you in a few weeks!