Foot or Ankle Surgery and a Non

When your doctor tells you that you have to stay off your foot or ankle for a certain amount of time, you might wonder how you are going to do it. Hobbling around on one foot is a lot harder than it looks…and it doesnt look very easy as it is! Here are a few tips to help you deal with a non-weight bearing lifestyle until your foot or ankle heals and can carry you again.

Tip #1: Line Up Help

If you know you have a few weeks or even a month or longer during which you will only have one leg to stand on, line up some help with the things you know will be really hard. Ask friends to drive your children to school. See if family members can take over the large household chores like lawn mowing, cleaning, and so on. You might even want to see if neighbors can bring you some meals so you dont have to deal with cooking. When people see you struggling on one foot, they will offer to help…accept it anywhere you can get it.

Tip #2: Decide on a Mobility Device

Many doctors will set you up with crutches and that option is quite viable. Some people do very well on crutches, especially if they only have to be on them a short amount of time. However, crutches can be quite limiting and hard to use as well. They can even make your hands and armpits sore and add to your level of discomfort. If you want to look into something that might give you more mobility during your recovery, Goodbye Crutches has three great options. The Hands Free Crutch, for example, is a device that looks like a peg leg and straps right on to your bad leg. You will retain the use of your hands and you will be able to go almost anywhere that you went before. The Knee Scooter is a device on wheels that can help you move around even faster than before. You place the knee of your bad leg on the padded area and scoot yourself from place to place with your good leg. You can carry whatever you need along with you in the basket on front. And the Seated Scooter works much the same way only you sit and scoot.

Tip #3: Plan to Rest

When you have a foot or ankle injury, your doctor will tell you that you need to rest as much as possible. Not only is this a good idea for the healing process, but it makes the non-weight bearing life easier as well. Set up a recovery station near your bed or couch with items you know you will need often. Place the remote, your laptop computer, the phone, some bottled water, healthy snacks and other items on a tray nearby so you can reach everything you might need without getting up.

Tip #4: Add Time

No matter what you do, when you are living a non-weight bearing lifestyle, everything will take longer. Make sure you plan extra time for each and every thing you have to do, even if it used to take you no time at all. Showering will be an obstacle instead of a quick event. Getting down the stairs will take three times as long. And going anywhere will take much longer as well.

Dealing with a non-weight bearing lifestyle may not be fun, but if you use these tips to help you get through it, you will heal and be back on both feet in no time. For Further information contact Dr. Jeffrey Bowman at 713-467-8886 or visit online for information and appointments, and he will get you in touch with Goodbye Crutches!

– Blog by Brook Williams, a blogger for Goodbye Crutches!

2013 Jeff Bowman., All Rights Reserved

Category: Surgery

Tags: Ankle Injury, Ankle Surgery, Crutches, Foot Injury, Foot Surgery, Goodbye Crutches, Surgery Recovery