When you have surgery, you can generally expect a longer, more drawn-out recovery time. There might be days you go without a shower. And you will likely need a neighbor or family member to walk the dog or even drive you around for a while.
However, in that recovery time, it’s essential to be comfortable and prevent reinjuring yourself or causing strain on an incision. While it seems like an afterthought to the day of surgery itself, choosing what to wear can make your life lot easier in the long run. Whether you need to wear a foot brace or an arm sling, taking your post-surgery clothing into consideration is more important than you would think.
What to Look for in Surgical Recovery Clothing
Surgical recovery clothing should make it super easy for you to get dressed, plain and simple. Whatever type of surgery or procedure you have scheduled, look for clothes ahead of time to make dressing painless and uncomplicated. When you go for follow-up doctor visits, you will need clothes that are easy to remove so you can demonstrate your progress. Seek out adaptive clothing. Adaptive clothing is often designed for those senior loved ones who have Alzheimer’s and issues like arthritis, but there’s also adaptive clothing that is designed for various specific surgeries. For example, you may need to consider getting pair of shoes for swollen feet after surgery for a leg or knee.
The Best Clothing and Accessories for Surgical Recovery
It’s important to be mindful of the clothing and ensembles you put together when recovering after surgery. Whether it’s surgery on your shoulder, hips or knees, dressing for surgical recovery will be much easier and painless when you choose the appropriate garments. Here are some valuable tips on the best clothing and accessories to wear for several common surgeries to keep incisions covered and the area protected.
Rotator Cuff Surgery
After surgery on your rotator cuff, it’s highly advised that you wear a sling or brace for four to six weeks. With this in mind, it means you will have to do many everyday tasks, like getting dressed using only one hand. To make it easier, choose a comfortable pair of slip-on shoes.
Since you have limited mobility, also choose loose-fitting underwear that offers plenty of room you can shimmy into. Women who have rotator cuff surgery should consider wearing a bra with a front clasp. It’s also a good idea to keep hairstyles simple for a while and to wear minimal jewelry. Reaching around the back of your neck to put your hair up or unsnap a necklace can disrupt your recovery.
Knee and Hip Replacement Surgery
Knee and hip replacement surgeries will mean limited mobility in that region so, obviously, choosing a proper pair of pants or slacks is a must. To make getting dressed easier, stick to pants with elastic waistbands and wide legs that don’t require squeezing into. Whether you have knee or hip surgery, a long-handled shoehorn can help you slip into footwear without bending areas you shouldn’t.
Back and Neck Surgery
As you recover from back or neck surgery, you will need to wear a hard or soft brace. Consider clothing that works with the brace, such as a button-down shirt or front-closing garments, like zip-up hoodie or cardigans. While bending your neck or stretching your back muscles might be off-limits, you can find footwear such as slip-on shoes or sneakers. Boat shoes, such as loafers, are ideal!
Foot Surgery
Foot surgeries will require you to keep the foot elevated for several weeks. You may even need to get around on a scooter. If you are wearing a cast, loose-fitting pants will make getting dressed simpler. Ladies who undergo foot surgery can also choose to wear skirts, which are easy to pull on. Just make sure they are not long skirts that could get caught in the scooter.
If you are wearing a boot or transition to a boot, find a better balance by wearing shoes of the same height. Otherwise, you may trip and cause further injury!
Hysterectomy Surgery
When coming out of hysterectomy surgery, it’s critical for women to wear loose-fitting clothes and underwear. Basically, think sleepwear or even robes that don’t add pressure to your waistline. Jeans are an absolute no-no!
Vasectomy Surgery
After a vasectomy, men should wear underwear that offers proper support. Like hysterectomies for women, men should also avoid tight-fitting jeans. Instead, dress pants or slacks can offer just the right amount of support without being too tight.
Where to Find Surgical Recovery Clothing
Silverts offers lots of adaptive clothing designed specifically for surgical recovery, as well as seniors and aging loved ones. Silverts even has a specialty line of comfortable clothes that makes dressing for surgical and procedure recovery easier. Plus, they are durable and washable.
Some of the adaptive clothes feature things like slip-resistance to prevent falls around the house, especially when dealing with hip replacement surgery. They also offer clothe designed with magnetic closures or zippers, for when doing buttons up becomes a difficult task. Silverts also carry a wide range of slip-on footwear, including slippers with velcro straps in place of laces.
Silverts also carry extra accessories and adaptive kits for wheelchair users, as well as those needing to use walkers or scooters temporarily. These kits are perfect for those still recovering from knee surgery or foot surgery who need to keep their legs elevated. You can also find wheelchair bags, organizers, and more!
You can still dress both comfortably and stylishly during recovery. Whether you choose to wander the mall in search of a new button-down shirt or loafers to help you get by until mobility improves, or opt to search online adaptive clothing offered by Silverts, you can find clothes that help make it easier to get dressed. Ultimately, when you are recovering from surgery, feeling supported and comfortable is what you need in your clothing.