Elevation & Swelling Control
Reduces swelling and supports healing in the first weeks.
What it helps
Bringing the leg up reduces swelling and supports healing in the early weeks — simple, and it speeds your comfort.
How to do it
- Lie back and prop the foot above the level of your heart on pillows.
- Rest like this regularly through the day, especially after being up.
- Use ice as directed by your surgeon.
Tips
- Elevation is one of the most helpful things you can do early on.
Commonly done several times a day.
Where this appears in recovery
Elevation & Swelling Control is part of 14 recovery programs, typically at the immediate recovery (weeks 0–2) and protected healing (weeks 2–6) stages. Each program shows how it fits alongside the other movements:
- Achilles Tendon Repair exercise guide
- Cheilectomy (Big Toe) exercise guide
- Ankle ORIF (Trimalleolar) exercise guide
- Triple Arthrodesis exercise guide
- Flexor Tendon Repair (Leg) exercise guide
- Ankle Arthroscopy (Cartilage Repair) exercise guide
- Posterior Tibial Tendon Reconstruction exercise guide
- Hammertoe Correction exercise guide
- Hammertoe Correction exercise guide
- Peroneal Tendon Repair exercise guide
- Medial Displacement Calcaneal Osteotomy exercise guide
- Morton's Neuroma Excision exercise guide
- …and 2 more
All exercise guides · Condition guides · Recovery education
These are general exercise guides, not a personal prescription. The repetitions and frequency shown are what's commonly used — your own surgeon or therapist may advise something different, and their guidance comes first.