Who ever came up with the sarcastic phrase “Funny as a crutch” surely had the challenge of using crutches in the winter on snow and ice.  While staying non weight bearing after an injury or surgery is always challenging, winter conditions only make it more treacherous.  Since winter may last even longer than your recovery, staying inside isn’t an option.  Here are some tips to stay safe, stay mobile, and stay non weight bearing.

1. Be Aware of Your Surroundings. Good posture is important while using crutches.  Standing erect and looking forward helps you keep your balance.  But it is important to be aware of the surface that will be supporting your crutches.  You can take precautions for the snow and ice you see.  But the most dangerous areas are the ones you don’t see. That dusting of snow may be covering a sheet of ice.
2. Ensure your crutches are positioned to support you. For maximum support your crutches should be vertical and directly below your shoulders.  While this is only possible while standing still, the closer you keep them to this position as you walk the safer you will be.  This means crutches that are adjusted to the proper height and not so tall that they angle outwards.  Small steps also keep the crutches under you where they can offer support.
3. Make sure the tires aren’t bald. Much like tires on your car, make sure the rubber tips of your crutches are not worn smooth.  There are spiked attachments for the bottom of crutches that solve this problem.  While they work well on ice and snow, they may provide even less traction on wet or smooth surfaces you encounter.
4. Traction with good foot. With only one good foot on the ground, make sure to maximize the traction it provides.  This means shoes designed with soles to accommodate snow.  The addition of devices such as YakTraxs can make most any low heeled shoe appropriate.  Think of them as tire chains for your shoes.   Often used by runners and outdoor enthusiasts in the winter, these devices can easily be slipped on and off you shoe.
5. Alternatives to crutches. By their design crutches are unstable.  Regardless of the conditions some people prefer to use a stable 4 wheeled cart to support their injured leg.  These devices called knee scooters or knee walker turn much like a bike as the patient propels them selves with their good leg.  The large 8” wheels maybe dwarfed by the snow drift, but they can accommodate most obstacles you encounter both inside and outside.

The post 5 Tips for Staying Safe on Crutches in the Ice and Snow appeared first on Lance Silverman, MD - Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Surgeon.

To better understand what our customers who are recovering from surgery experience on a daily basis, we recently had “crutch day.” On Monday morning everyone was given a pair of crutches to use for the entire day. While we had a lot of fun (watch on You Tube) we also learned a lot about why a Knee Walker is easier to use than crutches. Here are the top 5 reasons I found Knee Walkers preferable to crutches.

1. No Cheating: It has been proven that people can’t accurately gauge just how much weight they put on an injured leg. People will bear weight until it hurts and often that’s enough to do damage or compromise healing. With a Knee Walker your foot can’t touch the ground, so you are guaranteed to be completely Non-Weight Bearing.
2. Don’t Need Arm Strength: After just a few hours on crutches my arms were tired. If it had been crutch week the soreness and chaffing would have been an issue. With the Knee Scooter your arms aren’t involved.
3. More Stable in Any Weather: I can’t imagine confidently using crutches in snow or rain. The Knee Scooter can be used in all conditions except deep snow.
4. Makes Normal Life Less of a Chore: By lunch I was making decision based on whether or not it was worth the effort. I admit I didn’t wash filthy hands before eating a sandwich. It was too much work and they‘d only get filthy again from the rubber hand grips. I better understood how recovery from an injury or surgery can lead to isolation and even to depression. A Knee Scooter can make everyday tasks more manageable.
5. You Need To Eat and Drink: On crutches there was no way to get a cup of coffee to my office. I ended up kicking the travel mug down the hall. With the knee scooter I could put the travel mug in the basket. The basket on the Knee Walker was also helpful at lunch and for carrying papers at work.

A day on crutches proved the surgeon was right when he told me that if I ever had to be on crutches for 8 weeks I’d show up at my first office visit with a black cast. I’d be embarrassed, he’d be mad, and we both wouldn’t like the long-term outcome. If crutches don’t work for your lifestyle, talk to your doctor.  There may be options to help you regain your mobility, stability, and livelihood while you recover on one foot.

The post 5 Reasons Knee Walkers Are Better than Crutches appeared first on Lance Silverman, MD - Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Surgeon.