When providing care for a postoperative patient,it is important for the nurse to include which postoperative exercise?

A) Turning every 4 hours
B) Completing leg exercises once daily
C) Repeating individual leg exercises 20 times
D) Performing exercises with the unaffected extremities

A leg unaffected by surgery can be exercised safely unless the patient has preexisting phlebothrombosis (blood clot formation)or thrombophlebitis (inflammation of the vein wall).Instruct the patient to turn every 2 hours from side to back to the other side while awake.Have the patient continue to practice exercises at least every 2 hours while awake and repeat exercises 5 times.Instruct the patient to coordinate turning and leg exercises with diaphragmatic breathing,incentive spirometry,and coughing exercises.