Jul 08 2012
Swimming Anyone?
Just wondering if anyone went swimming while in their cast? The Dr. says I can but not sure how that soaking really affects the scar. I had gone swimming in college when I had stitches & that ended up softening up the stitches & leaving me with a round scar instead of a neat little line. Then when I had rotator cuff surgery a while back, one of the sites that had steri strips on it opened up a bit & left me with a round scar there too. I’d love to get some good exercise in but am afraid of what swimming might do to it given my history. I don’t consider crutching everywhere good exercise though it’s certainly getting upper body work in not to mention 1 legged squats.
7 responses so far
When can you get a boot? If you’re a swimmer, get a Vaco as you can swim easily in it. The stationary bike has been a sanity saver for something other than all the boring leg lifts, etc. Vaseline will protect the scar if you can get to it!
One of the reasons this injury takes so long to heal, is because of the limited blood supply to the area. Because of this, it is also prone to infection. This is one of the worst complications you can have- and you should really be careful to avoid it. Swimming (I think) is a bad idea, until your incision is fully healed. Stitches out, scabs gone, skin completely closed: healed. At this point, there would be no risk of making the scar worse either.
When you’re ready for it, I think swimming is a GREAT exercise for ATR patients. For me, it allowed me to hit my cardio system hard earlier than anything else. I also found the randomness of the little forces in the water were really beneficial to get the ankle mobile again. But, I did not get into the pool until ~4.5 weeks post surgery (and my incision healed pretty fast, with no issues or complications).
I too was very keen to get back to lap swimming ( I usually lap swim 2-3 times a week) my doctor did not recommend it until my wound was completely healed I am in a boot but an air cast.I am also worried about wet deck and falling just trying to get in!
Curlygirl- I made a set of rules for myself that worked pretty well: boot stayed on, until I was seated on the edge, with my good leg in the water. Then I’d take off the boot and swim. On the way out, the opposite: good leg stayed in the water until the boot was on. That little ritual helped keep me from doing something dumb on my way to and from the pool. To be honest, I felt most at risk, in the locker room, trying to get changed on the wet tile floor; by necessity, with the boot off to change clothes.
FWIW- I was swimming (kicking with my foot free) about the same time I started FWB.
Ha! Thanks gnt will have my iPhone at the ready for pics tommorrow when the splint comes off will be good to see my ankle and leg again. Wish me luck then back into another spint or boot hopefully we shall see.
Have you thought about using a vacuum cover? I swam everyday for a week on holiday with my plaster cast covered by a vacuum cover (I had Dry Pro in UK but I think there are others in US/Canada) and it was perfect. You don’t need to have a cast to use it - you can just use it over bandage or bare leg if you want. I was really happy to be in the water - would recommend it!
After reading all these, I’ve decided to be patient. Thanks for all your advice! Curlygirl, slipping while trying to get to the pool was big on my mind too. Xpf72q, how’d it go?