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The human body is a truly amazing machine. Against all odds, our bones, muscles, and organs work together to keep us alive, functioning in ways that we still don't fully understand. Consider, for just a moment, all of the events taking place within any of us right now. The heart is beating. The lungs are working to breathe. The brain is computing thousands of thoughts, sensations, and messages every second. The body is completely responsible for these functions, ensuring that they take place and that they succeed--and it's a good thing, too, because no one really knows how to voluntarily beat their own heart or control messages sent by the brain.

When it comes right down to it, we do very little to take care of our bodies considering how much they do for us. However, there are some occasions when the body demands more care, like after cardiac surgery--and on those occasions, rehabilitation is the answer.

After cardiac surgery, the sternum needs special care. Protecting it is one of the biggest and most important steps in the healing process--and that's because the risks are especially high. One possible complication is sternal dehiscence, which, while painful and dangerous, can be avoided with the help of proper care and sternum support.

What You Need to Know

Sternal dehiscence occurs when the sternum separates completely into two parts. It is sometimes related to infections of sternum wounds, and is linked specifically to certain types of cardiac surgery. Females are at greater risk than males, but there are risk factors that increase the chances of sternal dehiscence in both genders, including smoking, obesity, multiple operations, and more. The most important things to know about sternal dehiscence are:

The healing journey after cardiac surgery looks different for each patient. Some patients need more time to heal, while others want to be back on their feet as soon as possible--but one thing that all patients struggle with is pain. Pain is a universal part of the healing journey, and, luckily, there's a solution that's just as universal: sternum support.

How Sternum Support Helps Any Patient

Sternum support doesn't just make patients more comfortable--it actually speeds healing and limits the risk of complications. That's why sternum support devices are such a crucial part of the healing journey. The best part is that there is a perfect device for every patient, which means that the advantages of sternum support can really be universal. Don't just take our word for it, though--here are a few real benefits of sternum support that any patient can enjoy.

Pain management is an important part of any surgery recovery, but heart surgery has some additional factors that complicate things a bit. To start with, the idea of heart surgery is very scary, so patients have to deal with additional worries leading up the surgery. Post-op, patients have to contend with caring for their incision while doing ordinary things like breathe, cough, and sneeze. 

Pain relief for heart surgery recovery requires more than whatever your doctor prescribes. It's crucial that patients understand that recovering well takes some well-thought-out planning for daily activities. Let's take a look at how you can conceive of pain management after heart surgery.