You’re sitting in a cold and clinical doctor’s office when suddenly, the doctor walks in carrying the thing you’ve been dreading most: crutches.
As if it’s bad enough that you busted your ankle or had to go through foot or ankle surgery, you had to get your broken foot strapped into a lumbering cast. And to make matters worse, your doctor is dangling wooden crutches from his hand, wearing an evil grin that should only ever be seen on a Bond villain.
You don’t want to use crutches – end of story. They’re hard to maneuver, difficult to use, and they give you arm blisters (ugh). Additionally, crutches make it difficult for you to isolate your broken foot. You still remember the time in summer camp when you had to walk on crutches for the entire time, and you kept bumping your foot into every object (even ones that seemed to be hundreds of miles away).
If you want to give up on the crutches forever – and let’s face it, who doesn’t? – then here are the crutch replacement options you didn’t know about.
Knee Walkers
Knee walkers are unique mobility devices that make it possible for you to walk like a human again (something crutches can’t exactly promise you). To use a knee walker, you simply need to strap the leg with the broken foot into the walker. To do this, you’ll kneel into the knee walker (hence, the name) and your weight will be support by your knee and upper thigh.
A padded seat makes this easier to handle, which means you won’t have to deal with the discomfort associated with crutches (again, armpit blisters…not exactly the most enjoyable side effect).
Wheelchairs
If you’re really intent on avoiding crutches altogether, you might want to see if you can get away with using a wheelchair. These are great mobility devices that completely take the weight off of your broken foot and ankle, as well as make it easier for you to get around. If you’re considering getting a wheelchair, you need to make sure that your home and office can accommodate this mobility device. After all, you don’t want to be staring up at your third-floor apartment with the horrible realization that you can’t even make it up to your home.
If you want to choose any of the alternatives to crutches, you should look into what coverage will be provided by your health insurance. Some insurance companies won’t necessarily like the idea that you’re avoiding crutches (they’ve probably never been on them), so they may not cover all of the costs of buying a knee walker or wheelchair. Talk to a representative to see what mobility devices you can get without putting too much of a dent in your wallet.
If your doctor is sauntering towards you with crutches, put him in place by asking about these alternatives to crutches. And don’t wait – you don’t want to end up feeling like a giraffe with wooden legs for the next couple of months.