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hats off to anyone who has to use crutches all the time. just been out for a 10 minute walk in one direction and 14 minutes back.
i am a shaking near to vomiting wreck.
been using em round the house for a month, even up and down stairs, but my god, walking any distance on em without putting my potted leg down, is murder.
anyone got a scooter i can buy....... 😀
I was on them for a couple of months a while ago, ended up doing miles on them sometimes. I ended up with a really well developed left calf muscle and triceps.
I have just joined the club Ton after doing the Torino Nice Rally which is a different story.
Anyway, we are on Day 2. My first try from car to restaurant brought me out in sweats. It was probably 20m.....
Getting there slowly though. The most annoying thing seems to be you can't carry anything around the house. Got a musette round my neck....
Did hold my own in a small concert at a local brewery last night though.
Indeed, been there done that. Hang in there it gets easier as muscles adapt. Take care not to try and cheat I had a few comedy & painful falls when I put weight on my bad leg and crumpled.
The most annoying thing seems to be you can't carry anything around the house.
You just have to think that getting a coffee from the kitchen to the sofa as an adventure!!!
I have three pairs of crutches in the house now, mustcremember to take them back when I havey next physio appointment!!
I was on them for a few months I'd head off down the town with them a journey of about a mile and half. They're faster than walking once you're use to them.
I ended up putting bar tape on the handles of mine as blisters on the palm your hand hurt
September last year until feb'ish here.
A lot depends on whether you do what they say or what feels best for you.
You do get used to them, I had them on and off for almost a year in Sheffield, the walk home from uni was about 2 miles and involved a choice between Conduit hill and Springvale Road (both big 1in3 hills).
Once you build up the muscles in your back/shoulder/triceps it's as quick if not quicker than walking because your stride becomes so long. The trick is to think of pushing forwards rather than up, like walking you fall forward then push, don't be lifting your bodyweight up and down with each step.
I feel for you , did six weeks on them
Luckily mother in law had a spare scooter so I borrowed that for longer journeys
nearly got the swing, rather than lift sussed now. 20 stone going through the left knee and hip will no doubt bring surgery to those 2 parts in the near future too........ 😆
I created a bastardised knee crutch to allow me to move about the house while carrying a cup of coffee/ beer.
I will post a picture tomorrow when I get off this stupid iPad
You just get used to it tbh, I was stuck on them for 4 months and by the end I could get around not far off normal. Stairs were always a bollocks but I could walk miles no bother. Did break myself occasionally- 8 hours on my [s]feet[/s] foot at the scottish motorbike show left me basically stuck trying to get back to the bus stop afterwards, totally spent... (I got treated like a hero all day, I never told anyone that my break was nothing to do with a motorbike...)
I had crutches for 7 months (non weight bearing for 5 months and 2 months gradual phasing out of crutches)! It never got any easier, i seemed to plateau at a certain distance reached before i had to stop to rest my arms, after that resting had to happen much more frequently,by half a mile i was sick of it. Definately better to add foam or something to the handles. Strategic placing of chairs/furniture to act like stepping stones around the house meant i could get my meals from kitchen to sofa. Spent the first few days eating straight from the saucepan on the hob till i figured out the stepping stone plan.
got a appointment at the heart clinic tomorrow afternoon. first thing they do is take a ECG reading. that is gonna look good after a 15 minute hop from the drop off point...... 😀
BTW as a piece of useless info in French they are "canes Anglais"
Good luck tomorrow
shaking near to vomiting wreck.
That describes my first trip out on crutches exactly . Maybe 1/4 of a mile to docs 4 days after ACL replacement.
I thought I didn't need too much pain relief ,so ran out of tramodol & diclofenac after 3 nights. Clever shite.
Missus had gone to work and I was in tears of pain. No option to go and beg for meds. Specialist wasn't happy.
The crutches were no bother after that trip! 🙂
You get used to it!
Watch out you don't wear through the bottom of the rubber feet, keep an eye on it or things will suddenly get very slippery.
Also I developed quite a bad anterior pelvic tilt from trying to keep my bad leg (straight cast) off the ground by holding it behind me.
[img] https://goo.gl/zfYm2X [/img]
Rest the knee on the pad and you can hobble around the kitchen with one hand free for coffee/beer
If it's a below knee cast or boot have a look at the iWalk 2.0. Its a peg leg you rest the knee on and strap round your thigh.
http://www.peglegs.co.uk/product/iwalk-2-0/
I have been non weight bearing for the last 6 weeks and got another 4 to go following a windsurf crash. Getting one of these peg legs a couple of weeks ago has been a revelation. They give you your hands back so tasks like cooking, cleaning shopping etc become possible again. Not walked further than a mile in them yet as building up the distance slowly.
Can identify with all of the above issues with std crutches. Done the bar tape and road mitts to cushion my hands, it was an improvement but then pulled shoulder muscle by going to far.
I have massive Cabin fever. Day 1 of a normal working week but on crutches. I work from home normally.
I savour the fact that steps have the same adrenaline rush as rock climbing: going for the crux move above dodgy gear....
Worth asking hosp physios or OTs or whoever doles them out, about technique if you've not already. Not everything's utterly obvious, for example when you get to one crutch/stick, it might feel right to use it on the same side as your bad leg. You see loads of people doing this. But this throws weight onto this side of the body. Crutch on good side, moving in synch with the bad leg, keeps weight off it. Whatever, like others I quite enjoyed swinging about on crutches. just felt great getting out of the house...
@owenh -
http://www.peglegs.co.uk/product/iwalk-2-0/
That's far out! They're missing a trick not selling parrots mind...
Oo ah @johnx2 lad
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inflatable-Parrot-on-Shoulder-HN00507-CHNA-FLTB/dp/B0010O54VK
Ordered ??
Slightly more serious note, I reckon a version 3.0 made of carbon and a bit of flex or suspension in the leg could half the weight and give a more comfortable step.
Nice padded cycling mitts or you'll get nasty blisters on your palms.
And keep them on for using the crutches.
you'll be alright, its all practice, I came down Snowdon on mine the other week 🙂