The Novice Guide to a temporary life on one leg

Most of us have experience of walking or running with some sort of restricted capability of our lower limbs.  Whether the restriction is as a result of pain management from a minor or serious injury, the result is either limping or adapted movement to manage pain and protect the perceived weakness in the affected limb.

I am very experienced in limping.  It is something I have done to varying degrees since I was thirteen years old.  My body has coped very well with the physical challenges I have imposed on it, but as I get older the over compensation injuries get worse.  From hip to knee to foot, they have all suffered over the years in my never ending self-discovery quest.

Without the help of an amazing physiotherapist and a genius orthopaedic surgeon I probably would have been forced to stop running a long time ago.  Physical pain gets harder to manage as I get older and my body takes longer to recover.

However, when limping is not an option and you find yourself with very strict instructions not to put any weight on one foot for a prolonged period of time, normal life becomes very difficult.

However, adapting to change and perceived problems in a positive way is one way I believe that we can evolve into greater beings.  Seize opportunities when we can and have some fun along the way.

Here are some of my top tips to a temporary life on one leg:

      If you can, hire or buy a second-hand wheelchair

A wheelchair allows the “good” leg to rest and if you get a self-propelled one you can achieve a great upper body workout.  Having a wheelchair in the house also allows you to prepare and cook dinner and also to safely transport a cup of coffee (or beer) from one room to the next.

We found a fabulous local mobility shop with an extremely helpful owner.  He allowed us to have a nearly new wheelchair for a cheaper than hire price.

Wear gloves when using a wheelchair or crutches for longer than 15 minutes.

Padded fingerless fitness gloves are best for crutches and padded gloves with full thumbs for wheelchair use.  I learned the hard way and got myself a couple of huge blisters on my thumbs when I used the fitness gloves without thumbs for first wheelchair adventure.

Do not negotiate stairs on crutches after a few beers.

I probably don’t need to explain this one!  All I will say is that no further physical injury has been sustained in the learning of this lesson.  Only my pride was hurt.  Please also refer to number 9 for guidance on how best to manage this situation….

Put padded tape on the handles of your crutches.

Good quality bike handle bar tape is the best.  I applied it to my crutches after my last operation 5 years ago and it is still going strong.

Teach yourself balancing tricks and body awareness using crutches.

Someone suggested that I tried break dancing on my crutches and although they were only joking it did get me thinking….  Since then I have spent time playing my crutches to see how the position of my body affects my stability.  I started by trying to lift both feet off the ground and remain motionless for as long as possible.  When I first tried it I managed less than one second.  Yesterday I managed nearly 5 seconds.

Limit your hopping.

Hopping can potentially propel the body forward very quickly.  I know this as I have been practising, BUT it does puts huge strain on the body and risks injury.  It also makes you look like a toadstool as the muscle development on the working leg and bum/ hip area gets greater and the bad leg gets weaker…
Today I hopped more than I should have in order to avoid the strain that the crutches were placing on my hands.  The result is that my whole body is aching, from neck to toe.  Please avoid being a silly billy like me.

Set yourself challenges SMART Objectives

By SMART I mean Simple Measurable and Realistic Timescales.  For example a sub4 minute mile in a wheelchair on a mostly uphill grass course is probably only achievable by a Paralympian.  Sub 30 minutes is possible for me.  The challenge of working towards achieving the objective gives the opportunity to devise a plan based on my running and fitness experience and it is fun learning new stuff like how to keep a wheelchair on a straight line when the camber is on your stronger side.  And once I crack the Sub 30 I will give myself a little pat on the back and then go for Sub 20…..

Use your bum and one crutch to open doors.

Sometimes people help a person on crutches by opening doors, but mostly they don’t and anyway there will be many occasions when no one else is around and you need to get into a room with a door.  Best technique for doors opening away from you is to use your butt to open it and then squeeze through the gap.  Outward opening doors should be approached with great caution and when you do open it, wedge the crutch against the bottom of the door, but please take care that the rubber bit does not catch on the door and make you lose your balance.  If it does, whatever you do, do not allow the protected foot to hit the ground.  Sacrifice your knees if you need to. 

Do not crawl or get in/out of the batch without knee pads and shin guards.

My leg and knee currently resembled the legs of a polka dot pony.  Baths, wooden floors and stairs, and negotiating many other obstructions while kneeling or crawling has resulted in a rather large number of little bruises on my left leg and knee.  Full protection horse travel boots are my recommendation for this

Always remember others.

In the past two weeks there have been several occasions when I have nearly thrown all my toys out of the pram.  I get very frustrated at my temporary disablement and I erupt in an emotional mess.  But then I remember the amazing people out there that are forever disabled.  They raise their game and put us to shame with their heroic efforts each and every day.  And I also remember those that help me every day and whom without their help I would not be able to manage.

(all images courtesy of Ian J Berry and bloomingponies.co.uk)