An older man who had a gastric resection states that he wants to ambulate but the osteoarthritis (OA) in his knees causes too much pain. Which intervention should the nurse implement to in-crease the amount of walking this man can perform?
a. Encourage the patient to keep his leg ele-vated.
b. Instruct him to rest until the pain disap-pears.
c. Suggest taking pain medication before walking.
d. Collaborate with the health care provider to make a walker available.
C
The nurse suggests taking the pain medication before walking to provide relief during the time when the pain occurs. In addition, if the patient premedicates, then the analgesic effect is likely to last long enough to benefit the patient for any pain after walking. Elevating leg will provide comfort and decrease in edema after exercise; however inactivity may exacerbate the pain. Inac-tivity tends to exacerbate the pain of OA. Instead, the nurse recommends a balance of rest and exercise. A walker is not indicated and will not alleviate any pain in the knees; it is intended to provide stability for ambulation.
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