What are the differences in exercise methods for different periods of fracture healing

  With the continuous progress of society and the development of science and technology, the needs of human beings for health are constantly changing and improving. The nursing model has gradually changed from the traditional “disease-centered” to “patient-centered” holistic care. Especially for fractures, the treatment of fractures is mainly post-care, and today we introduce how fracture patients should rehabilitate at home.  Good home care can achieve the same effect as inpatient treatment, and save the cost of hospitalization and reduce the economic pressure of family and society; secondly, patients return to their familiar living environment and reduce the anxiety; finally, it can reduce the time for family members to run between home and hospital and improve efficiency. Finally, it can reduce the time for family members to travel between home and hospital and improve efficiency.  Home care for fracture patients is “learned”. After the fracture has been repaired and fixed, the patient will often be fixed in a cast. Before the cast dries, only use the palm of your hand to flatten and hold up the cast tube, but do not use your fingertips to grasp it, because your fingers can depress the cast and compress the limb. Do not put the cast on hard objects until it is completely dry, and avoid getting the cast wet to avoid softening and deforming the cast and losing the fixation effect.  The injured limb in the cast should be elevated as much as possible, preferably above the level of the heart, especially in the early stage of the injury, because elevating the injured limb can help blood return and avoid or reduce the swelling of fingers and toes. Usually, special attention should be paid to observe whether the cast fixation is too tight. If the distal end of the fracture site – fingers and toes – is found to be severely swollen, with purple skin and increased pain, it means that the cast may be too tight, and prompt medical attention should be sought.  Although it is not convenient to move the limb when the cast is fixed, you should still try to move the fingers and toes of the injured limb to promote blood circulation, help the broken bone to grow and reduce swelling, and the joint that is not fixed should also be moved more often. When bathing the patient, the skin around the cast should be kept as dry as possible to avoid skin breakage. The bed sheet should be flat and dry.  Early and reasonable functional exercise can promote blood circulation of the affected limb, reduce muscle atrophy and maintain muscle strength. There are different exercise methods for each phase of fracture healing, 1. Early fracture: 1~2 weeks after fracture. At this time, the local pain is more painful, the affected limb is swollen and painful, and the fracture end is unstable and easily re-displaced. The purpose of exercise at this time should be to promote local blood flow and strengthen metabolism. Improve local symptoms and prevent muscle atrophy. The main practice is to do fist clenching and finger flexion and extension activities for forearm fracture, static contraction exercises for quadriceps muscle for lower limb fracture, and in principle, the upper and lower joints of the fracture site are inactive, while all other parts of the body should be engaged in normal activities.  2.Middle fracture period: 3~6 weeks after the fracture. The local symptoms of the fracture have basically disappeared, the fracture end is basically stable, and the bone scab has formed. At this time, active movement should be the main focus, exercise muscle stretching activities and joint range of motion. Methods: Continue to enhance the muscle contraction activity of the affected limb; gradually resume the activities of the upper and lower joints of the fracture and gradually move from passive to active, which can further expand the range of activities and prevent muscle atrophy.  3.Later stage of fracture: 6~10 weeks after the fracture. After the fracture is close to healing, this period is also called the functional recovery period. Patients with upper limb fracture can be encouraged to do light work within their ability, so that all parts of the joint can be fully exercised; those with lower limb crutches should be gradually changed to single crutch, and then abandon crutches to walk, and gradually increase leg swinging and rotation movements to promote the complete recovery of fracture.  The diet should be light and nutritious, with less greasy and fried food and not too spicy. Alcohol should be consumed sparingly or not at all, especially when taking medication, and tea should be consumed sparingly. Eat more vegetables and drink more water, eat vegetables with more fiber, such as bananas, honey and other foods that promote excretion, and take laxative drugs such as marijuana pills if necessary. Bedridden patients are prone to urinary tract infections and urinary tract stones, so drink more water to facilitate urination.  Patients with extremity fractures often have sleep disorders, caused by many reasons, as family members strive to create a good resting environment for patients, limit and reduce noise, assist in completing personal cleaning and hygiene before bedtime, gradually develop good sleep habits, and at the same time pay attention to the discomfort caused by the observation of therapeutic measures.  The time of healing after fracture of the extremities is a concern of fracture patients and one of the key points of psychological care for patients. Understanding the relevant knowledge and giving correct guidance can prevent anxiety from occurring. Fracture healing is a complex physiological process, including the hematoma formation period, the bone scab period and the plastic period. There is no fixed time for fracture healing, and even if the fracture condition is the same, the healing time may vary. Usually it takes about 2 to 3 months for a fracture to heal. There is a reason for the saying “it takes 100 days to heal a fracture”, but the exact time depends on the patient’s condition.