Cast to boot Need advice

Posted on June 15th, 2014 by delia1951

Hi, I read through the 179 posts related to going to a boot. I seem to have the slow route..surgery was 5-1 and tomorrow which is 6 weeks 4 days, I will go into a boot..for those of you that have gone the 6-8 weeks in a cast; what can I anticipate tomorrow when the cast comes off. I read what the leg will look like etc. but from what i read:

will i have 3 lifts; should I ask for lifts for my other leg; did it hurt the first time that you stepped down in your boot..things that I should know that my doc wont tell me…can i stand barefoot on my toes if i take a shower..things like that.. Thanks Dee

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Surgery Day Advice (from a nurse)

Posted on June 7th, 2014 by delia1951

My name is Dee and I am an OB nurse and I had a 1″ vertical tear in my right  achilles..  People say nurses make the worst patients as we observe everything, so I am giving all my info, as I observed it !!  I had my MRI the 3rd week in April. Doc on vacation until May 1st, so I wore the boot and was non weight bearing for the 2 weeks prior to the surgery. Rent a knee scooter (best thing ever).  I am not of fan of trying to be mobile with crutches only…Have a 2nd floor in our house, so brought twin bed down into the living room. Brought anything that I needed to the 1st floor…..Get a bedside commode for the night time, especially if you are a women.  When “wheeling” into the bathroom have a crutch ready as you can pivot on your good foot to sit down….

The morning check in to the hospital was fine. Kept scooter and crutches in the car as you will be wheeled to the hospital exit on discharge..Signed papers, got IV and off via cart to the OR..received med in IV that knocked me out and woke up in recovery and pain was intense..couple of IV pain med doses were given and haven’t had any pain in 6 weeks..don’t even need aleve.. Pain med dilaudid worked great but made me so sick to my stomach and was sick until 4:30pm and surgery was at 8am..my advice, sleep after the surgery, even if it is a day surgery center..I tried to sit up and keep my eyes open..once I got home and slept for 1 hour, all nausea gone.. word to the wise; when sleeping at night and you have to stretch; don’t stretch the foot with your cast..as the swelling goes down, there is play in the cast ….1 week after the surgery, I had this burning sensation and the cast had shifted and was pushing into 2 of the staples..just a little fyi..

I found that as I was sick to my stomach in the hospital,  bladder control was not the best (sorry about the bluntness) so when we were discharged, I had a blue chux pad inside my pants for the ride home, just in case there were any accidents. Prior to discharge, my nurse was not the brightest as she said okay you can walk to the bathroom.. I responded with uh, I am non weight bearing..like I said nurses catch everything while they are patients..lol..Keep your foot elevated as much as possible; thank God for lazyboy recliners….it has been 6 weeks and 3 days since surgery and the cast comes off tomorrow.Hope this info helps! Dee

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  • Recent Comments

  • tri-michael1 | July 13th, 2014 | 4:37 am

    Hi all, well it’s now 4 weeks post op and I saw my doctor yesterday. I was able to convince him to put me in the Vacocast Pro achilles boot which he had never heard of. He was willing to give it a try and I’ve been very lucky that the people at Oped Vacocast UK have been so helpful and on call for any questions.
    My muscle is very atrophied from the 2 weeks prior to surgery and the past 4 weeks. I can walk in the boot although I am positioned at full Equinus position( toes pointed down) which means that I have a large wedge attached to the boot to keep the foot in position. This means of course that I have complete imbalance as my legs are two different heights. Has anyone used the Pro achilles boot and if so any tips on using it in this position. I am still using the crutches to keep my balance but would welcome any tips to help me try to ditch them.

  • normofthenorth | June 16th, 2014 | 4:19 pm

    I have a stall shower and added a little plastic stepstool with a slab of closed-cell foam on top. I crutched into the shower, sat on the stool, then leaned my crutches against the outside of the shower. Early, before FWB, I wrapped my boot in a garbage bag with an elastic-and-Velcro strap at the top. (I’ve had professional covers too, but this worked fine.) I usually put in a piece of chamois cloth just in case some water seeped in.
    After FWB, I took off the boot and left it outside the shower. Had another padded stool outside the shower, at the sink. Crutching from the shower to the outside stool barefoot (on wet surfaces) was nervous-making, but it went OK. An alternative might be to have a towel within reach, dry the leg and put the boot on, all still in the shower.
    It’s all a nuisance, but getting to wash your body — including that leg! — is worth it!

  • delia1951 | June 15th, 2014 | 8:16 pm

    Thank you David

  • davidk | June 15th, 2014 | 5:19 pm

    Delia, I was immobilized (splint then cast) for just 4 weeks, but I think much of my experience will still be relevant to you. In general, when your cast is removed, you will be surprised at how much your calf muscles have atrophied from disuse. Don’t be disheartened–they will come back! Your foot will be weak and seem useless for a while. You will feel vulnerable out of your boot, but you should start doing gentle ROM exercises (while seated) to begin re-awakening and strengthening your foot and ankle muscles.

    To your specific questions: 1) You do want something to elevate your good leg to the same height as your booted one. Lifts would help, but they won’t compensate for the added height of the boot itself. I used an Evenup shoe device and would highly recommend (available on Amazon for ~$29)–it attaches to the bottom of your shoe on your good foot. 2) With your crutches supporting most of your weight, you can experiment with putting differing amounts of partial weight on your booted foot (PWB). Splay the crutch legs out wider to lessen their support and add weight to your booted foot. Pay attention to your gait and roll from

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