Tips please on using crutches with a cam boot.

**Frangipani Lou** · July 31st, 2014, 07:43 PM

So I've stuffed my left ankle and have crutches for 6 weeks as well as a cam boot to protect a small fracture and ligament damage in my left ankle.
On the upside, it'll hopefully be covered by work cover as I did it leaving a work meeting.
Now instead of taking ages for me to work out how to do stuff on crutches, I thought I'd ask the brains trust here for tips and experiences to get stuff done. It was really hard even getting breakfast this morning and DD sat on the kitchen floor to eat her muesli cause I couldn't lift her into her high chair.
TIA :-)

**Rivlas** · July 31st, 2014, 11:02 PM

Can you get a hold of arm crutches instead of the one you put under your arm. DH found these so much better and easier to use when he was in a boot.

A garbage bag over the boot and tied to keep the water out. A chair in the shower or sit on the side of the bath and use a hand held device.

Also, remember everything takes double the time so allow that time whenever you are planning anything. Steer clear of shopping centres if you can, many people don't care if you are using crutches.

Hope you are not on them for to long and can get around with just the boot on. Take time and allow yourself to heal properly before overdoing it.

**wysiwyg** · July 31st, 2014, 11:47 PM

I just came out of 5 weeks in a camboot - I gave up on crutches after one day - I was more likely to do an injury to myself using them. I had no pain though and could easily walk using camboot. I had a fracture of my heel bone - after 5 weeks in boot, nothing had changed - and I felt was worse for the rest of my foot to keep in it and doctor agreed, have been out of it nearly two weeks and have some stiffness and seeing a podiatrist for rehab.

I took mine off for night time and showers.

**HotI** · August 1st, 2014, 12:35 AM

going down stairs - crutchers first.
going up stairs - foot first.

a backpack might help you carry things around you will need, even around the house.

good luck

**Frangipani Lou** · August 1st, 2014, 05:23 PM

Thanks folks. I've got the crutches that don't go up under my arm. My poor body is learning to move in ways it hasn't for years!
I was scooting round the house on an office chair this morning. It meant I could carry a bowl of muesli to the table to eat and I could lift DD in and out of her high chair too.
I'm using a long strap bag to put things in like my drink bottle and pain meds and food for moving around the house. My handbag is a leather backpack so that's working well too.
I'm thinking of having a treatment called PRP to speed the healing process up.

**~Kim~** · August 2nd, 2014, 11:42 AM

A friend of mine has had a boot for the last 4 months after a seriously bad accident. She was initially just walking on it, but her operation didn't work so she wasn't allowed to put any pressure on. She was given this wheely thing like a scooter that had a handle bar and a knee pad that she kneeled on. Made her much more mobile.