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Wrist Arthroscopy: What to Expect at Home

Your Recovery

Arthroscopy is a way to find problems and do surgery inside a joint without making a large cut (incision). Your doctor put a lighted tube with a tiny camera—called an arthroscope, or scope—and surgical tools through small incisions in your wrist.

You will feel tired for several days. Your wrist will be swollen. And you may notice that your skin is a different colour near the cuts (incisions). This is normal and will start to go away in a few days. Keeping your arm higher than your heart for the first few days after surgery will help with swelling and pain.

When you can go back to work or your usual routine depends on the kind of surgery you had. You will probably need about 6 weeks to recover. If you had a repair of damaged tissue, recovery will take longer. You may have to limit your activity until your wrist strength and movement are back to normal. You may also be in a rehabilitation (rehab) program.

This care sheet gives you a general idea about how long it will take for you to recover. But each person recovers at a different pace. Follow the steps below to get better as quickly as possible.

How can you care for yourself at home?

Activity

Rest when you feel tired. Getting enough sleep will help you recover. Use pillows to raise your wrist and arm above the level of your heart. Try to walk each day. Start by walking a little more than you did the day before. Bit by bit, increase the amount you walk. Walking boosts blood flow and helps prevent pneumonia and constipation.
You may have a sling. Follow your doctor's instructions on how to use it.
Avoid lifting anything that would make you strain. This may include a child, heavy grocery bags and milk containers, a heavy briefcase or backpack, cat litter or dog food bags, or a vacuum cleaner.
Your doctor will tell you how often and how much you can move your wrist and arm.
If you have a desk job, you will probably be able to return to work or your normal routine in a few days to a few weeks. If you have to lift heavier objects at work, it may take months before you return to work.
You can take a shower 48 to 72 hours after surgery and clean the incisions with regular soap and water. Do not take a bath or soak your wrist until your doctor says it is okay.
Ask your doctor when you can drive again.

Diet

You can eat your normal diet. If your stomach is upset, try bland, low-fat foods like plain rice, broiled chicken, toast, and yogurt.
Drink plenty of fluids, unless your doctor tells you not to.
You may notice that your bowel movements are not regular right after your surgery. This is common. Try to avoid constipation and straining with bowel movements. You may want to take a fibre supplement every day. If you have not had a bowel movement after a couple of days, ask your doctor about taking a mild laxative.

Medicines

Your doctor will tell you if and when you can restart your medicines. You will also get instructions about taking any new medicines.
If you stopped taking aspirin or some other blood thinner, your doctor will tell you when to start taking it again.
Be safe with medicines. Take pain medicines exactly as directed.
- If the doctor gave you a prescription medicine for pain, take it as prescribed.
- If you are not taking a prescription pain medicine, ask your doctor if you can take an over-the-counter medicine.
If you think your pain medicine is making you sick to your stomach:
- Take your medicine after meals (unless your doctor has told you not to).
- Ask your doctor for a different pain medicine.
If your doctor prescribed antibiotics, take them as directed. Do not stop taking them just because you feel better. You need to take the full course of antibiotics.

Incision care

If you have a dressing over your cuts (incisions), keep it clean and dry. You may remove it 48 to 72 hours after the surgery.
If your incisions are open to the air, keep the area clean and dry.
If you have strips of tape on the incisions, leave the tape on for a week or until it falls off.

Exercise

The day after surgery, you can lift your shoulder up and down to keep it loose.
Bend and straighten your elbow slowly several times throughout the day.
Move your fingers as much as your bandages will allow.
Depending on why you had the surgery, you may have to do wrist and arm exercises. Your doctor or your physiotherapist or occupational therapist will give you exercises as part of a rehabilitation program.
Stop any activity that causes sharp pain. Talk to your doctor or your physiotherapist or occupational therapist about what sports or other exercise you can do.

Ice

To reduce swelling and pain, put ice or a cold pack on your wrist for 10 to 20 minutes at a time. Do this every 1 to 2 hours. Put a thin cloth between the ice and your skin. If your doctor recommended cold therapy using a portable machine, follow the directions that came with the machine.

Follow-up care is a key part of your treatment and safety. Be sure to make and go to all appointments, and call your doctor or nurse advice line (811 in most provinces and territories) if you are having problems. It's also a good idea to know your test results and keep a list of the medicines you take.

When should you call for help?

Call 911 anytime you think you may need emergency care. For example, call if:

You passed out (lost consciousness).
You have severe trouble breathing.
You have sudden chest pain and shortness of breath, or you cough up blood.

Call your doctor or nurse advice line now or seek immediate medical care if:

You have numbness, tingling, or a bluish colour in your fingers or hand.
You are sick to your stomach or cannot keep fluids down.
You have pain that does not get better after you take pain medicine.
You have loose stitches, or your incision comes open.
Bright red blood has soaked through the bandage over your incision.
You have signs of infection, such as:
- Increased pain, swelling, warmth, or redness.
- Red streaks leading from the incisions.
- Pus draining from the incisions.
- A fever.

Watch closely for any changes in your health, and be sure to contact your doctor or nurse advice line if:

You do not have a bowel movement after taking a laxative.

Where can you learn more?

Go to https://www.healthwise.net/patientEd

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Care instructions adapted under license by your healthcare professional. If you have questions about a medical condition or this instruction, always ask your healthcare professional. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information.