Too much crutching about
It was a long day out and about. Driving kids to school and to an orthodontist appt. that did not exist (it’s tomorrow) crutching over snow banks, navigating icy sidewalks, crutching 4 blocks thru the skyway to get to a job interview and back again because the closer parking lot was FULL. Finally got to the Dr. office to rent a TLC (turning wheel caddy) and used it to zip around the office for some meetings and finally got back home. The caddy works great but now my knee hurts (I have Osgood-Schlatters that flares up after kneeling too long) so maybe I should stick with crutching. At least my kids were happy to see the caddy because of course it was yet another fun contraption to play with. 3 Advil, a Newcastle and a bag of ice on my leg and the pain continues. Maybe tomorrow will be better!
March 3rd, 2009 at 11:26 pm
Hey Bode, great updates. I’m with you on the frustration of the crutches. I had em for about a month. Interestingly, as soon as my doc gave me the green light to start weight bearing, I did. He told me to come back in 3 weeks, but I ditched the crutches immediately (while still with a cast with toes pointed downwards a little), and re-booked for a week later. That appointment was today, and the doc put me in a boot, FWB, and said to start physio and come back in a month. The key to accelerating the protocol for me was to test things out reasonably, and prove out the successful test to the doc. It also helps that he seems to be open to changes to his protocol.
March 4th, 2009 at 12:01 am
So, how was it??? I’m sure you enjoyed it.!
March 4th, 2009 at 7:53 am
The boot’s working out great so far. The walk is pretty funky as the angle isn’t adjustable, so the foot is locked at 90 degrees. It seems that swinging it out to the side with the toes pointed outward gets me moving the fastest, and that’s still pretty slow. The biggest thrill for me is just to have the power to remove it when I want to air things out. I’ve tried gingerly walking without it and things are still pretty tight and tentative. I’m sure much of it is psychological too. So far 1 week in a cast pre-surgery, 3 weeks cast post-surgery, and just starting air cast (boot) for a month.
March 4th, 2009 at 6:21 pm
I encountered the same problem when I started using the TLC while I was NWB. I did, however adapt to it and really learned to love that thing. Well that may be an overstatement but IMHO it was a big improvement over the crutches.
If you haven’t tried this already, you might try re-positioning the cushions until you find a more comfortable setup. It worked for me.
March 4th, 2009 at 9:45 pm
I am also enjoying the TLC whenever I’m on flat ground with no steps. Today went much better as I did way less crutching but still got out for two trips to the Orthodontist, picked up my kids from school and a had a short stop at the DMV to get my disabled parking permit. My son went and got one of my knee pads that I use when doing construction projects and strapped it to the TLC and that really helps. It is more comfy now and works great for getting around the kitchen especially and I’m sure I will use it on my next trek downtown to the office. I’m now hooked on the TLC and would recommend it for NWB. I do hope to be weight bearing soon so I can ditch the crutches and TLC altogether. I really want to walk again!