04 Aug Here’s How to Be Sure Your Patients Are Ready for Rehab

If a patient has undergone an orthopedic procedure, how do you know when they are ready for rehab? In many cases, medical providers will encourage patients to begin physical therapy as soon as possible after the procedure. But the movement of therapy around the site of the wound could create complications.

Here is how you can know when your patient is ready for rehab and ways to improve the strength of that area with collagen. We’ll also tell you how FritzFinn can help. 

How to be sure your patients are ready for rehab

It seems like a good idea for patients to get active as soon as possible following an orthopedic procedure. But what about the wound itself? The truth is that surgical incisions weaken those areas of the body which are at risk when there is strenuous activity, like physical therapy and rehab. 

After surgery, many doctors will recommend waiting three to four weeks so that the wound has a chance to heal. Even then, there might still be a risk when stress is placed on the incision site. 

So, how can you be sure your patients are ready for rehab? That depends. Each patient’s circumstances are different. But you can improve the healing and strength of their post-surgical wounds by using something called collagen. 

Improving tensile strength with collagen

No matter how the orthopedic incision is closed, it will be significantly weakened compared to its pre-surgical state. Referred to as tensile strength, this is the resistance value of the skin to re-open after injury or incision. And tensile strength is generally only about 20% at three weeks post-surgery. In fact, it can take up to two years to regain full tensile strength. 

The product in our bodies that aids in the regeneration of tensile strength is collagen. Collagen is a protein produced by the body that plays a vital role in the function and structure of skin, cartilage, connective tissue, and bones. 

Collagen dressing provides a moist healing environment that allows the wound to heal faster. These dressings come in multiple forms, including powders and sheets to promote wound healing and improve tensile strength. And the American College of Surgeons recommends collagen dressing as a post-surgical treatment. 

Learn more about FritzFinn’s advanced wound care solutions

If collagen helps improve the tensile strength of a wound to ready a patient for rehab post-surgy, how do you get access to it? There are probably a few ways, but FritzFinn offers a safe, reliable, and customized option for collagen dressings with its wound care products. 

THE CARE PACKAGE is a customized all-in-one package of high-quality wound care products that makes post-surgical wound care easier for both providers and patients. The provider writes a prescription for the product, which is delivered directly to the patient’s door. 

The patient receives a SMARTKITS, which is a single-use wound care package containing gloves, saline, gauze, a customized bandage covering, and collagen specific to the wound or incision size. 

THE CARE PACKAGE from FritzFinn takes the guesswork out of post-surgical wound care and improves outcomes for your patients. To learn more about implementing this revolutionary wound care solution, contact us today.