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Elevating Your Broken Foot and Other Foot Surgery Recovery Tips

Foot surgery recovery can be a lot like walking into your favorite casino. You could end up getting lucky in your experience, have the time of your life, and walk away from the whole episode feeling like a million bucks…

Or you could end up feeling like your mind, body, and wallet have been drained from your foot surgery recovery!

When it comes to making the most of your healing time, you don’t have to wallow on the couch and count down the days to when you’re better. To speed up your foot surgery recovery, here’s what you need to do:

  • Elevating your broken foot is one of the most crucial techniques for recovering faster. But don’t just prop it up on your coffee table (your mom taught you better than that!). Get a nice long pillow and place it under your knee. You see, many people make the mistake of placing the pillow under the foot, but this can place a great deal of stress on your joints. Keep it under the knee, and your body will thank you for it.

ELEVATING

  • Get your hands on a stability mobility device. A knee walker can help you get around the house without putting weight on your broken foot – a crucial part of healthy recovery.
  • Make sure that your mental and emotional health is just as prioritized. Take your recovery time to read up on your favorite books, spend time with family members, or get back into that painting hobby you haven’t indulged in since college. It’s a great way to come out of your healing process feeling healed, relaxed, and rejuvenated.
  • Follow your doctor’s advice! Many patients let their medications lapse, especially after the first month of their foot surgery recovery. Take notes when meeting with your doctor, and don’t be afraid to call his or her office with any questions you might have. Remember, it’s your foot – take care of it!

By elevating your broken foot, keeping busy, and having a mobility device on hand, you should discover that your recovery period is like smooth sailing. So what suggestions do you have for recovering from a foot or ankle injury?

Adventures To Have With Your Scooter For Non-Weight Bearing

Just because you’re laid up on the couch from your foot or ankle injury doesn’t mean your adventures have to be limited to surfing daytime TV (that’s more like a nightmare, am I right?).

Here at Knee Walker Central, we’re all about encouraging our clients to take their scooter for non-weight bearing out into the world for some safe yet awesome adventures. Ready to put some mileage on your scooter for non-weight bearing? Here’s what you can do:

  • Play knee walker bowling. Push aside all carpets and rugs in your living room or head to your kitchen (the goal here is to find a room with wooden floors). Set up a bunch of plastic bowling pins or empty water bottles. Challenge your kids or friends to beat you in bowling. At random times, fake your friends out by using yourself as the bowling ball. It’s a guaranteed way to get a strike!
  • Head to a busy museum or crowded restaurant that you can never get into. When the employees see you in a scooter for non-weight bearing, they’ll make every effort to make your visit more comfortable. It’s like getting first class service without having to pay a first class price.
  • Challenge your family to come up with a dance routine that you can use with your scooter for non-weight bearing. This is a great activity to do if you have energetic kids, so roll up those rugs and start practicing. Bonus points if you can come up with a routine to “Thriller” (and if you do, send us the video. Seriously. We’ll make you famous.)

Get ready to look as cool as this guy…

Dealing with a foot or ankle injury doesn’t mean you have to be a boring lump on the couch for the next three to six months. Just whip out your trusty scooter for non-weight bearing, gulp down a cup of coffee, and get ready to have some seriously memorable adventures.

Non Weight Bearing Workouts You Can Perform During Your Recovery Period

When your foot is locked up within the ironclad grip of a cast, you might feel like there’s no chance of getting the exercise you need. Gone are the days when you could walk around whenever you pleased. Gone are the days when you could hop in your car, drive to the gym, and log in a six-mile run on the treadmill (or six minutes…but honestly, who’s counting?). And even the days when you could walk around the mall and shop to your heart’s content are temporarily gone (hey, shopping counts as cardio).

While it’s important for you to get plenty of rest and relaxation during your recovery period, it’s also just as important for you to get your fair share of exercise. But this might seem impossible, especially when you’re lugging around a massive cast.

Fortunately, there is a wide range of non weight bearing workouts you can perform during your recovery period. You’ll just need to get a little creative to do them!

Take a Walk with Your Knee Scooter

A knee scooter, or a knee walker, is a unique mobility device that’s designed to help you move around without the awkwardness or embarrassment of crutches (not to mention the chances of bumping or hurting your injured foot). A knee walker looks like a special bike where you rest your injured leg on the special pad; the other leg is used to propel yourself forward. It represents a fantastic way to get the exercise you need, as you’ll be able to move around, open doors, and engage in activities that may have been previously off-limits with your crutches.

Check out our knee scooters at Knee Walker Central, and you’ll discover why more people are turning to us when they need high-quality mobility devices!

Focus on Your Upper Body

You don’t always have to work out your legs in order to get exercise; in fact, some of the best non weight bearing workouts you can perform during your recovery period involve arm workouts.

If you’re consigned to your bed or couch, considering investing in a pair of light handheld dumbbells. These will allow you to perform bicep curls, tricep extensions, and other fantastic non weight bearing workouts that can increase your heart rate without putting pressure on your foot or ankle.

Get the Blood Pumping

If you’re intent on working out your legs, you can perform a myriad of activities without actually placing any weight on your feet. Simply sit on your couch or bed, lift up the injured leg, and rotate it in small circles. This simple activity can get the blood pumping and help you get the cardio you need to stay healthy. You may also just want to elevate each leg for about thirty seconds, then switch and elevate the other. Remember, the key here is to get in a good workout, not train to become an Olympic athlete.

That can come after your recovery period is over!

As you can see, there are plenty of non weight bearing workouts you can perform during your recovery period. By engaging in these tips, you’ll be able to get the exercise you need without placing any additional strain on your recovering foot or ankle.

Non Weight Bearing Advice You MUST Take After Foot Surgery

Whether this is the first time you’ve experienced foot surgery or the third (if this is the case, you may want to re-examine your hobbies), you may already know the most important rule of thumb for foot surgery recovery: you MUST avoid putting weight on your injured foot.

Like with most things, it’s a lot easier said than done. Everyone’s willing to give you non weight bearing advice, but it can be difficult to take. After all, you had no idea how much you took your mobility for granted. Suddenly, simple activities like preparing yourself dinner or even walking across the office to hand in that report become monumental occasions that practically merit an Olympic gold medal.

But before you start dreaming of how you’ll look on that Wheaties box, take note: there is plenty of non weight bearing advice that’s easy to execute after a foot surgery. Best of all, most of this advice encourages you to sit back and relax – and who doesn’t need an excuse to catch up on all the seasons of Modern Family?

With this in mind, take a look at the non weight bearing advice you MUST take after foot surgery.

Make Your Bed or Couch Your Kingdom

One of the first pieces of non weight bearing advice you must take is that you should stay off your injured foot as much as possible. Sure, this might seem like common sense, but once you’re actually saddled in the cast, you might find it hard to resist getting up and walking around. That’s why you need to make your bed or couch your kingdom, where all you need is within an arm’s distance.

This means ensure that snack foods are easy to reach (enlist the help of a family member to cook meals). Keep a large stack of DVDs nearby that you can pop into your television (consider investing in a television streaming program like Netflix or Hulu, so you don’t even have to get up). Keep a large pile of books and magazines nearby to indulge in. Make your bed or couch as comfortable as possible so you won’t even be slightly tempted to leave.

Ask For Help

Many people have a hard time asking for help when they’re injured. Maybe they’re too stubborn to have a family member take over dinner duties, or maybe they’re too proud to ask for a ride into work everyday. Regardless, this next piece of non weight bearing advice is crucial – don’t be afraid to ask for the help you need. People are more willing to assist you than you might initially realize. By asking for help, you’ll be able to make your recovery period much more convenient – not to mention enjoyable!

Get a Knee Walker

Crutches are, in a word, lame. They’re awkward to deal with. They make it nearly impossible to get anywhere without bumping your foot or experiencing armpit blisters. That’s why you need to invest in a better mobility device, like a knee walker.

At Knee Walker Central, we specialize in providing injured persons with knee walkers, which make it much easier for people to get around without the inconvenience of crutches. Best of all, your arms will be freed up, which means you can open doors, grab things off of shelves, and engage in other normal activities. Your insurance company may even cover the cost of your knee walker, so be sure to ask us to help with your knee walker claim.

If you follow all of the non weight bearing advice contained within this article, you’ll find that it’s not only possible to get through your recovery period – you may actually enjoy it!

Top Ten Movies to Watch While Recovering from Foot Surgery

When you’re stranded on the couch as a result of recovering from foot surgery, you don’t want to waste any of your precious recovery time. You want to do the best foot and ankle exercises. You want to catch up with old friends on Facebook and finally send Grandma a birthday card. You want to be productive…

And you also want to do some serious movie watching!

If you’re recovering from foot surgery, the entertainment world is at your feet (pun intended). You have hours upon hours in which to indulge in quality time with your television without feeling guilty. Forget household errands and picking up the dry cleaning – you have a foot that needs to heal!

So if you’re stuck for ideas for movies to watch or you simply want to make yourself forget about the fact that you’re healing, here are our top ten movies to watch while recovering from foot surgery (non-biased opinions not included):

1. Anchorman. Let the vision of Ron Burgundy’s mustache help you forget about the pain of recovering from foot surgery.

2. Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Always a great film. And if you’ve never seen it, it’s about time you do!

3. Avatar. Get lost in Pandora – and leave the world of physical therapy and stitches back on Earth where they belong.

4. The Godfather. If you haven’t seen this classic yet, it’s time. And if you’ve already seen it, you know you want to watch it again.

5. Alien. A sci-fi horror classic that set the bar for cinema for decades to come.

6. Aliens. It’s just as good as the first one. But if you feel the need to watch the later sequels, just blame your temporary misjudgment on the pain medicine.

7. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. It’s long. It’s awesome. And the hobbit feet will make you feel better about your own.

8. Bridesmaids. One of the best films of 2011 for a reason. You’re not human if you don’t laugh at during the airplane scenes.

9. Anything by Steven Spielberg. The man’s a genius – so take your pick from his classic offerings, like Jurassic Park, Jaws, E.T., and so on. Here’s a helpful hint: avoid anything he made after 1996.

10. A Christmas Story. You don’t have to be in the midst of the holiday season to enjoy this 1983 American classic. You’ll practically cringe with delight when Ralphie encounters a department store Santa Claus!

What are your favorite movies to watch when you’re feeling sick or recovering from foot surgery? Let us know!