Help me get along with crutches

February 16, 2023 1:16 PM

Just broke my foot, and now i have a boot and have to use crutches. Help me with your pro-tips and hacks.

The hospital basically watched me take four steps and said “Good to go!” Reader, she was not good to go. I don’t have good balance or arm strength. The only thing I’ve figured out is the three-finger hold for travel mugs and bottles. I’ve watched multiple videos on navigating stairs, but they always have perfect code-compliant ADA accessible stairs, unlike me who has a narrow set of tall stairs with a sketchy railing in an old house. I’m also concerned about showering—it will take a few days to get a stool. I’m struggling with basic tasks like handling bowls for dog food and water, carrying a plate, etc. Assume begrudgingly supportive partner who is unfortunately being a pill about assisting me. Thanks!

posted by 0xABADBABE to Health & Fitness (22 answers total)

Best answer: I have broken a foot, and I have broken a knee; I lived in a 4th floor walkup both times.

Honestly, if you are using TWO crutches, then your partner is going to have to do some carrying of things for you. But we'll set that aside a moment and come back to it, and address a few other things....

* Are you certain that you need two crutches? When I broke my foot and had the boot, I only needed a cane. And even when I broke my knee, there was a point I only needed one crutch.

* Whether you need one or both, make sure they are "fit" properly; the under-your-arm bit properly situated under your arm without your having to hunch over. I didn't necessarily need arm strength when I used them, it was more of a brace for balance.

* For stairs, that will just take time. Both my orthopedists for both injuries, AND my physical therapists, all said that when navigating stairs with an injury, you lead with your good foot on the way up, and with your bad foot on the way down. "Up with the good, down with the bad" was the mnemonic they gave me. I would take it step by step, one at a time, thusly:

ON THE WAY UP: crutches or cane on the target step, bring the good foot up to that step, then bring the bad foot up. Repeat.

ON THE WAY DOWN: crutches or cane on the target step, lower bad foot down to that step, then bring the good foot down to it. Repeat. It will feel like you're taking forever. It will suck. you will get used to it.

* A stool or something to sit on will be the best bet. When I broke my foot I was able to take my boot off, but still had to sit; having a handheld nozzle helped tremendously. When I broke my knee, my roommate and I had to rig up a stepstool by the bathtub and a stool inside the tub; I would enter the bathroom with a robe on, he would spot me as I used the stepstool to brace myself for the climb into the tub, he would help lift my bad leg so that it stuck out and rested on the toilet seat, and we'd encase it in a garbage bag, and then he would leave the room while I shimmied out of the robe and started the shower. After my shower I'd dry off, shimmy the robe back on, and call for his help to get me out of the tub.

Before we'd figured that out, I used some extra-large body wipes my BFF sent me in a care package.

* The fact that my roommate was helping me that much should emphasize that you REALLY are going to need some help, and your partner REALLY needs to get off the stick on this. This is not going to be a long-term thing - my roommate really only needed to help me with everything for like 3 weeks. But "everything" included carrying bowls and plates, because I needed both hands for my crutch; it included getting me into and out of bed (I had a huge cast on for the first three weeks I broke my knee and I literally could not lift my leg when I had to get up or down), doing all the cooking, and spotting me as I went up and down the stairs.

The good news is, within 3 weeks my cast came off and I just needed a brace; he no longer had to come physically move my leg for me if I had to get up to go pee. So that was one less thing he had to do. My physical therapist also showed me a trick for how to use one of my crutches as a lever. A couple weeks after that I was able to just use one crutch in the house, and could carry my own coffee cup around, so he didn't have to do that any more. A couple weeks after that I felt more stable leaning against the counter to wash my hair or make simple meals, so he didn't have to help with that either. And so on. And that was for a broken knee, which is way more debilitating; you have a broken FOOT, so your recovery will likely be even faster. But only if your partner sucks it up and helps you with the short term.

(As a matter of fact, you can tell them that my roommate said they're being a big baby.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:33 PM on February 16, 2023 [3 favorites]

Best answer: Forget about such acrobatic tasks as "carrying a plate" while you're on two crutches. You're going to need help for stuff like that. There's some stuff where a small backpack can make a big difference. Maybe you can load your coffee in a travel mug and carry that in a backpack, but not a plate.

Definitely practice going up and down a few steps, with a spotter. I can't believe the hospital discharged you without a physical therapist checking you out on stairs. Just remember, lead with your good foot going up, lead with your crutches and bad foot going down. Take your time and think first. I hope you have good leg strength in your good leg.

Your partner is going to need to accept that being on two crutches is severely limiting, and they need to step up. You can show them this post.

Being on one crutch is a huge improvement in independence. When you graduate to one crutch, use the crutch on the side opposite the bad leg. I've seen people get this wrong and it pains me.
posted by adamrice at 1:46 PM on February 16, 2023 [2 favorites]

Best answer: I was on crutches for about three days due to a broken toe and got the same overly-optimistic "Good to go!" from the urgent care. I found that my core was under as much, or more, of a strain as my upper body. When I hit my limit, I hit my limit, and there was no way I would have been able to move around safely after my body had enough. Stairs were the worst. If you can minimize your stair climbing, or strategize when to do it, that will help.

Don't be carrying things in your hands while using crutches. Use a small cross-body bag for when you absolutely need to move stuff. (That will also effectively limit the size/weight of the stuff you are schlepping. This is a good thing. If it doesn't fit in the free Bike to Work Day mini messenger bag, or if it might spill or break in the bag, I hereby release you from any responsibility to carry it.)
posted by expialidocious at 1:51 PM on February 16, 2023

Crutch pockets are super-helpful. You can even put a coffee in a tall cup in them for a short amount of time.
posted by 8603 at 1:53 PM on February 16, 2023

Best answer: You may find elbow crutches easier to manage than under the arm crutches, if they have you on the under the arm ones. They take less of a footprint to manage and they are more comfortable for a lot of folks. When my wife had knee surgery, we got them at a medical supply store for fairly cheap (she's had her shoulder repaired three times, the under arm crutches were not happening).

Can you fit a shower chair into your shower, instead of a stool? The chair, in our experience, is much more stable and comfortable.
posted by joycehealy at 2:00 PM on February 16, 2023 [2 favorites]

Best answer: I get that you probably wouldn't want to do this at work, but in your own house, you can just slide up and down stairs on your butt if that feels more secure. That's probably going to be the safest method.
posted by Redstart at 2:24 PM on February 16, 2023 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: couple of clarifications
* pretty sure i need both crutches, no weight bearing on the bad foot, and if i try it hurts too much
* prognosis is crutches for 6-10 weeks
* already sent sweet but firm email to partner (she doesn’t listen well) explaining this will be trying for both of us, but we are in it together, it’s a long haul, and graciousness on both sides is necessary; there’s an askme in there for a later time lol

thank you all so far, keep it coming!
posted by 0xABADBABE at 2:24 PM on February 16, 2023 [2 favorites]

Best answer: I lived by myself when I broke my foot. For meals, I definitely didn't try to carry plates, everything was put into containers with lids and I hopped with the closed container to the table. Trying to carry things in my hands other than small items like keys or pieces of paper while using crutches didn't work for me. For carrying larger things, I used a backpack.
posted by Kris10_b at 2:34 PM on February 16, 2023

Because this hasn't been brought up yet: is getting a knee leg scooter an option?

Beyond that I definitely cannot advise on this topic, other than a friend had an Achilles injury and found that the scooter helped a whole lot and ditched the crutches after he got one.
posted by jenfullmoon at 2:39 PM on February 16, 2023 [4 favorites]

I have broken my foot - my condolences, it's miserable. I could never really get the hang of crutches: I found them uncomfortable. I found it much easier to hobble around with the boot. I bought a product on Amazon that could attach to the shoe of the other (non-broken) foot that raised the shoe by approximately the amount of the boot on the other foot, and it made walking much smoother.

- I found myself unable to shower until maybe 6 weeks in. Baths were so much easier, and I could rest my broken foot on the side of the tub. If that's an option for you, I'd definitely try it. If you have/get a cast, they make these waterproof bag things that you can use that help.
- Steep steps, oof. I basically went downstairs once or twice a day. If I could have gone less frequently, I would have. The boot is very tricky with steps (or maybe I'm especially uncoordinated): I found the boot heavy enough that it threw off my balance. Agreed with above, backpack is perfect, or some kind of bag that distributes weight evenly rather than just on one shoulder: balancing is hard enough with a broken foot without that. Carrying things with no bag with crutches or boot is a recipe for falling.
posted by ClaireBear at 2:45 PM on February 16, 2023

Best answer: Completely irresponsible of the hospital to discharge you without practice on stairs: when I broke my leg recently a session with a nurse practising was mandatory before they would let me go.

Anyway. Things you could use:
- a trolley you can nudge, so you can get food and drink or whatever from one room to another
- a stool for your shower and/or a fitting that sits across your bathtub
- a rubber anti-slip mat for your shower/bathtub
- garments with big pockets! if you have to wear a bathrobe all day because it has big patch pockets, not the end of the world
- if your partner who is a pill can be persuaded, the least thing they can do is pick up anything and everything off the floor because the last thing you need is trip hazards

I got nothing on the stairs I'm sorry. You need practise and someone to show you technique and safe stairs.

Oh yeah elbow crutches are better for most people and outside the US they're standard. See if you can get some. Apart from being genuinely easier to move on, the way the cuff/supports work means you can move your arm and pick things up without letting go of the crutch.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 2:56 PM on February 16, 2023

If you are having trouble with crutches, is a knee crutch like the iWalk an option? Much more mobility than a knee scooter.
posted by xedrik at 3:45 PM on February 16, 2023

+1 for the iWalk - it may sound gimmicky but being able to stand and use my hands was a game changer for me when I broke my foot.
posted by kserra at 3:55 PM on February 16, 2023

I don't know if these are forearm crutches or old-style ones that come up to the armpit, but if it's the latter, don't rest your weight on your armpits. That's a recipe for shoulder pain. It sucks, but you have to support your full weight with your good foot and forearms.

You're a tripod. The wider the stance, the more stable.

Honestly, whether you like it or not, you're going to develop upper body strength over the next weeks that will surprise you, and will make it easier by the time you get to the end.
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 4:20 PM on February 16, 2023 [1 favorite]

Forgot to add: tall stool for the kitchen or any other area where you need to work standing, so you can lean back on it and access the countertop.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 4:20 PM on February 16, 2023

Check out this front page post about some crutch alternatives.
posted by brainwane at 4:30 PM on February 16, 2023

OH MY GOSH DUH -

For my answer, the paragraph that begins "A stool or something to sit on will be the best bet..." is talking about showers.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:18 PM on February 16, 2023

I've heard a lot of people using crutches praise these forearm crutches, which are easier on your body than under-the-armpit crutches.

"SmartCRUTCH’s patented modular design distributes your body weight over your forearm, releasing pressure and pain from your hands, wrists and shoulders"
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 5:30 PM on February 16, 2023 [1 favorite]

You may be able to use an iWalk hands-free crutch. I liked it when I was having an ankle injury (sequelae from a bad fracture). It requires some core strength and adjustment, but was so much better than armpit crutches.
posted by cnidaria at 10:01 PM on February 16, 2023

Also, a backpack can be nice for carrying things. And honestly I just used a wheelchair in the kitchen when my leg was broken and had my helpers move everything to wheelchair-accessible height. It was amazing to be more comfortable and independent and not have to try to carry things on crutches or even with my walker. If your kitchen has the space for it, and the iWalk is too strenuous, maybe you can borrow or rent a wheelchair?

P.S. In my area, iWalk delivers a lot faster from Amazon. I'm not an Amazon fan but in a pinch you do what you gotta do.
posted by cnidaria at 10:05 PM on February 16, 2023

I second jenfullmoon's recommendation of a knee scooter. I had ankle collapse and couldn't put weight on my foot for three months (!) I couldn't use crutches, because of my age, arthritis, weight, having never had upper body strength, et al. The knee scooter was a blessing. When my husband would help by putting the scooter into and out of the car, I could shop, go to a restaurant. He wasn't always thrilled by being asked, but my being able to cook dinner, clean dishes, etc. was something he needed and I couldn't have done that on crutches.
posted by tmdonahue at 5:47 AM on February 17, 2023

Also, not sure where you are located, but in my town the Soroptimists have a home health loaner program, where things like walkers, knee scooters, crutches, wheelchairs, crutches, canes, etc. are available to borrow, free of charge, for any length of time. Upon return, items are cleaned, refurbished as needed, and made available once again. Perhaps there is a similar offering in your community?
posted by xedrik at 10:53 AM on February 17, 2023