Ankle support for swimming?
July 15, 2015 5:46 PM Subscribe
My partner who is hemi-plegic would like to go swimming but when he walks out of the water (with assistance) he feels like his ankle is going to snap and break. I guess we need some kind of ankle support specifically for his situation. Help!
We have not had any help from the several physical therapists and even a water-therapy physical therapist that we have consulted. They just don't get it. He feels like his ankle is going to snap. We have AFO's that I suppose I could duct-tape all around. But I guess the problem is we live in a remote small town and maybe our physical therapists are missing some big-city sophisticated way to help dis-abled people swim?? The attitude here is "man-up". So my partner is just not going to swim. Surely there must be a better way.
We do not have those "lifts" that help dis-abled people in and out of pools. We may be getting one. But is there something people in the city do about dis-abled people's ankles to help them get in and out of the swimming pool?
We have not had any help from the several physical therapists and even a water-therapy physical therapist that we have consulted. They just don't get it. He feels like his ankle is going to snap. We have AFO's that I suppose I could duct-tape all around. But I guess the problem is we live in a remote small town and maybe our physical therapists are missing some big-city sophisticated way to help dis-abled people swim?? The attitude here is "man-up". So my partner is just not going to swim. Surely there must be a better way.
We do not have those "lifts" that help dis-abled people in and out of pools. We may be getting one. But is there something people in the city do about dis-abled people's ankles to help them get in and out of the swimming pool?
Rather than duct taping an AFO' in place, depending on how much support his ankle needs, using the velcro straps and a 'water shoe' (which would have to be bought big to fit over the foot and AFO might give him more support and grip on wet surfaces, and be easier on the brace/skin. I'd be cautious of just the AFO as rigid hard plastic + wet pool deck is a recipe for a fall. Neoprene is generally water friendly and used in lots of lower support braces, although I'd be concerned about any brace, without a grippy shoe, on a wet deck.
If your pool is improving accessibility perhaps they could look at pool stairs as well. They have the advantage of being useful for a wide variety of people, and offer more independence for entering/exiting the pool than a lift, while still being MUCH easier than a conventional pool ladder. They are also usually removable for swim meets/cleaning/etc.
Good luck with this!
posted by Northbysomewhatcrazy at 6:28 PM on July 15, 2015
If your pool is improving accessibility perhaps they could look at pool stairs as well. They have the advantage of being useful for a wide variety of people, and offer more independence for entering/exiting the pool than a lift, while still being MUCH easier than a conventional pool ladder. They are also usually removable for swim meets/cleaning/etc.
Good luck with this!
posted by Northbysomewhatcrazy at 6:28 PM on July 15, 2015
After I broke my ankle and finally returned back to the pool I had this exactly same "Oh man my ankle is just going to snap in two" feeling. I live in a rural area and we have a lift for our pool. It's part of a college so there may be ADA grants available for that if you want to put the pressure on someone at the pool. They may be legally required to have something available no matter how small they are. In the meantime there are a variety of ankle braces for swimmers of various sturdinesses depending on what he needs.
I don't want to tell you how to interact with the pool, but there may be different methods of getting out (even without a hoist) that are more stable for him like getting a lift (from you or another person) to a seated position and swiveling out of the pool which would give him a different relationship with gravity and his ankle. There's also having a plastic walker that he could climb the stairs with and put weight on the walker and not his ankle depending on how severe his hemiplegia is.
posted by jessamyn at 7:13 PM on July 15, 2015
I don't want to tell you how to interact with the pool, but there may be different methods of getting out (even without a hoist) that are more stable for him like getting a lift (from you or another person) to a seated position and swiveling out of the pool which would give him a different relationship with gravity and his ankle. There's also having a plastic walker that he could climb the stairs with and put weight on the walker and not his ankle depending on how severe his hemiplegia is.
posted by jessamyn at 7:13 PM on July 15, 2015
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I bet an orthopedist (especially a leg/ankle specialist) could suggest something. Do you have a sports-med place nearby? Someplace known to treat all the local school teams and whatnot?
posted by jquinby at 6:06 PM on July 15, 2015