Burns 202 Overview of Stretches Video Lecture - Introduction to Burn Care

therapy goals following burn injury
include reducing swelling to promote
healing and reduce risk for infection as
well as restoring and maintaining normal
mobility so that you can continue to
move normally for daily activities edema
also called swelling is extra fluid that
leaks into your tissues due to the
inflammatory response following burn
injury pressure from this extra fluid
causes pain can delay wound healing or
make wounds worse by preventing good
blood flow to the wound and increases
risk for infection due to reduced
circulation use your burned hand or arm
walk if you have burns on your legs or
feet increased movement and exercise
will help increase blood flow and
decrease edema as long as you keep
moving while up on your feet the active
pumping of your muscles will increase
circulation to your legs avoid static
standing use of assistive devices or
sitting with your feet on the floor in
order to prevent pooling of edema in
your legs and feet
elevate your burned hand or arm when
resting or walking swelling will
increase due to the pull of gravity if
you hang or swing your arms by your
sides while you're walking the easiest
way to drain swelling is through a
straight downhill pipe with your hand
higher than your armpit and your elbow
straight active fist squeezes while your
hands are elevated will act as a pump to
help push the swelling out
keep legs elevated when not actively
walking again the easiest way to drain
swelling is through a straight downhill
pipe so you want to have your feet
higher than your groin with your knee
extended active movement of your ankles
and toes while your legs are elevated
will act like a pump to help push
swelling out wearing compressive
dressings like to but I strapped or
ISOTONER gloves can also help reduce
swelling in your arms hands or legs
woman's tighten as they heal and scar
this process starts immediately after
your injury therefore it is important
that you start moving and stretching
right away this time period is your
window of opportunity to make sure that
your scar matures in a way that allows
you to move normally because the process
of healing and scarring is occurring 24
hours per day 7 days per week the best
you can do to keep up with it is to
stretch every hour when you're awake
stretching provides feedback to the scar
tissue as it's forming and maturing to
allow for full normal mobility what is a
contracture a contracture is tightening
and shortening of the skin muscles and
tendons contractures permanently reduce
your ability to move and can cause
deformities by pulling joints out of
alignment as long as you stretch often
enough hourly when awake up to 10 times
per stretch hold long enough at least 30
seconds per stretch and push yourself
hard enough to full range with blanching
of the skin contractures and functional
limitations or deformities are generally
preventable it's okay for dressings to
shift and move while you're stretching
just make sure wounds or open areas are
recovered once you're finished it's also
okay or normal to see bloody drainage
from your wounds as you stretch and move
it's normal to feel pain as you start
stretching and moving this does not mean
you're doing damage to your wound the
more you stretch and move the less it
will hurt
here are some key points to remember
keep moving and doing your everyday
activities keep burned arms or legs
elevated when not actively moving or
using them where prescribed compression
dressings or garments stretch every hour
that you're awake it's normal for
bandages to move when stretching it's
also normal to see bloody drainage on
your bandages while you're stretching
pain while you're moving and stretching
is normal you are not doing harm and
finally if it feels tight stretch it