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Original poster

Broken foot - feel so disabled!

48 replies

owwwfoot · 22/09/2023 14:00

I’ve broken my foot. Stress fracture from walking. I have a walker boot for the next 4-6 weeks. We go abroad in 3 weeks. I get married in 4.5 weeks (hopefully I can take off the boot for that)

I’m thoroughly fed up and am basically immobile. It hurts to bear weight on it - the boot makes it hurt slightly less, but walking is clunky and odd.

I can’t drive until I don’t need the boot anymore. I can’t even take it off to drive, as it does hurt lifting the clutch up and down. Public transport links are shit around us. The bus and train station is 10 minutes away by car, then my office is a 10 minute walk from both the bus and train station in the other town.

I can work from home but my role is hybrid, I’m also often out and about in the community. Next week I have to drive to 5 different locations. Of course I won’t be doing that anymore. I can’t go into the office and just park outside because it’s city centre and there’s no access. A taxi could theoretically drop across the road but it would be £20 one way from where I live.

Adjustments can and probably will be made but I am seriously fed up.

I love going on walks, how can I exercise now? Even simple things like popping to the shop can’t be done.

DP and my parents have offered to give me lifts to places when they’re available but they all work so often aren’t available nor do I want to rely upon anyone, kind as the offers are.

OP posts:
cheezncrackers · 22/09/2023 14:05

God - how frustrating and annoying for you! What terrible timing too with your holiday and wedding. I think I'd try and cobble together lifts to/from work if you can and otherwise see if you can WFH.

As for exercise, I think I'd figure out what I could do i.e. floor based type stuff maybe? There are lots of workouts on YouTube - is there anything suitable on there for someone with a foot injury?

PickledPurplePickle · 22/09/2023 14:08

Are you weight bearing? Do you have crutches? Would a knee scooter be an option?

beguilingeyes · 22/09/2023 14:15

A disabled foot is the worst. I've had tendonitis recently and was walking with a stick for a while. Luckily I have an automatic car.

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EvilElsa · 22/09/2023 14:16

I agree about the knee scooter -I've seen them used a lot in the USA but not so much in the UK so not sure how easy they are to get hold of.
YouTube is your friend for workouts with a broken foot. Go on and search, there are hiit workouts specifically for people with leg injuries.

fetchacloth · 22/09/2023 14:21

You really have my sympathy there OP 😔. The inconvenience must be driving you mad.
I currently have plantar fascilitis in my left foot and I can't really walk anywhere either and, like you, I'm a keen walker.
Oh hum.

Original poster
owwwfoot · 22/09/2023 14:22

cheezncrackers · 22/09/2023 14:05

God - how frustrating and annoying for you! What terrible timing too with your holiday and wedding. I think I'd try and cobble together lifts to/from work if you can and otherwise see if you can WFH.

As for exercise, I think I'd figure out what I could do i.e. floor based type stuff maybe? There are lots of workouts on YouTube - is there anything suitable on there for someone with a foot injury?

Yes it’s very frustrating! I think I can work from home mostly. Thank you so much! Never thought of YouTube.

OP posts:
Original poster
owwwfoot · 22/09/2023 14:23

PickledPurplePickle · 22/09/2023 14:08

Are you weight bearing? Do you have crutches? Would a knee scooter be an option?

No crutches. I can bear weight on it but it hurts badly! Hurts slightly less to bear weight with the walker boot, but it’s uneven and clumsy so difficult to walk without limping even with that on.

OP posts:
Original poster
owwwfoot · 22/09/2023 15:01

fetchacloth · 22/09/2023 14:21

You really have my sympathy there OP 😔. The inconvenience must be driving you mad.
I currently have plantar fascilitis in my left foot and I can't really walk anywhere either and, like you, I'm a keen walker.
Oh hum.

It’s rubbish isn’t it! Especially when you like walking

OP posts:
Original poster
owwwfoot · 22/09/2023 15:39

Couldn’t be worse timing

OP posts:
fetchacloth · 22/09/2023 17:41

owwwfoot · 22/09/2023 15:01

It’s rubbish isn’t it! Especially when you like walking

Show quote history

It is rubbish I agree and apart from a few exercises and living in trainers, there are no specific treatment for it.
However I am exploring bespoke orthotics which may help but they're expensive 🫤
Hopefully you are more mobile soon though 💐

Original poster
owwwfoot · 22/09/2023 17:44

fetchacloth · 22/09/2023 17:41

It is rubbish I agree and apart from a few exercises and living in trainers, there are no specific treatment for it.
However I am exploring bespoke orthotics which may help but they're expensive 🫤
Hopefully you are more mobile soon though 💐

Show quote history

Is it a chronic condition? It must be unbearable. I think we don’t realise how crucial our feet are to pretty much everything until something goes wrong with them xx

OP posts:
fetchacloth · 22/09/2023 18:09

owwwfoot · 22/09/2023 17:44

Is it a chronic condition? It must be unbearable. I think we don’t realise how crucial our feet are to pretty much everything until something goes wrong with them xx

Show quote history

It's not really treated as a chronic condition but it can recover and then come back some years/months later. I last had this about 13 years ago.
The frustrating part of this is that there is no way of really preventing it happening and the recovery time can be anything between one and six months. I'm only two weeks in and I've had enough already🙁

FictionalCharacter · 22/09/2023 18:12

I did mine a few years ago and also had a boot.
It's there to immobilise the fracture so it heals. Please don't keep removing it to try to drive. If the broken bits move around it will be slower to heal.
You'll get used to walking in the boot and it will stop hurting soon. But it will probably keep hurting if you keep taking the boot off and walking on a broken bone!
Do you have pain relief? I was given strong pain relief because it really was painful. You have my sympathy especially with the terrible timing, but you really should persevere with the boot.

Original poster
owwwfoot · 22/09/2023 18:16

FictionalCharacter · 22/09/2023 18:12

I did mine a few years ago and also had a boot.
It's there to immobilise the fracture so it heals. Please don't keep removing it to try to drive. If the broken bits move around it will be slower to heal.
You'll get used to walking in the boot and it will stop hurting soon. But it will probably keep hurting if you keep taking the boot off and walking on a broken bone!
Do you have pain relief? I was given strong pain relief because it really was painful. You have my sympathy especially with the terrible timing, but you really should persevere with the boot.

I’m keeping the boot on.

Can you remember how long yours took to start feeling better/healing?

I’m struggling with the boot because my other foot is much lower down, so I’m off balance if that makes sense? I feel like I need a really chunky shoe on my good foot so I’m at the same level, but I don’t have one. Or do you just have to walk a bit lopsided? I’m so new to all this and they didn’t give much info as they were really busy

OP posts:
FictionalCharacter · 22/09/2023 20:53

@owwwfoot I can't really remember, but I think there was a definite improvement in about 3 weeks. It's a very individual thing though. I remember saying to DH that I could feel it healing, but I can't describe how it felt.

I think I probably was walking wonky with the boot, but it didn't really matter, I could get around.

I hear you about them getting you out the door with very little advice. I went back to orthopaedics for a check up when it was better and got pretty much "OK good, bye". I told them my lower leg muscles had gone flabby from lack of use and they just said that was normal. I could walk OK though. No physio offered. In the end I paid for a private physio who sorted me out really well.

Abeli · 22/09/2023 21:03

I did this a few years ago. The off balance bit made walking so difficult. I found my biggest trainers and put some insoles in the good foot to raiseit up a fraction.

Can't you cancel the holiday? I can't imagine it will be much fun if you can't walk.

Original poster
owwwfoot · 22/09/2023 21:05

Abeli · 22/09/2023 21:03

I did this a few years ago. The off balance bit made walking so difficult. I found my biggest trainers and put some insoles in the good foot to raiseit up a fraction.

Can't you cancel the holiday? I can't imagine it will be much fun if you can't walk.

Technically it’s our honeymoon! And we’re going somewhere 5* all inclusive. It’s 3.5 weeks away ish. I might wait and see…. Surely better to be there than here

OP posts:
littlecrocodiles · 22/09/2023 21:17

@owwwfoot
Have you seen these? https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=EvenUp
A friend of my is currently in a boot after rupturing their achillies and has found one of these so useful x

ThickSkinnedSoWhat · 22/09/2023 21:22

I've had a broken foot... several times. I find it odd to say you 'feel so disabled'. I have a child with disabilities and several friends with disabilities and a broken foot is no comparison, nor would I ever consider it such.

Original poster
owwwfoot · 22/09/2023 21:26

ThickSkinnedSoWhat · 22/09/2023 21:22

I've had a broken foot... several times. I find it odd to say you 'feel so disabled'. I have a child with disabilities and several friends with disabilities and a broken foot is no comparison, nor would I ever consider it such.

Thank you, I feel ‘disabled’ by my injury right now. The very definition of disabled - less able to do certain things. I meant no offence by the term. I also have a friend with a disability and my cousin’s child is disabled.
It’s the same as if I said I felt anxious and saying that’s offensive to people with anxiety.

OP posts:
Original poster
owwwfoot · 22/09/2023 21:26

littlecrocodiles · 22/09/2023 21:17

@owwwfoot
Have you seen these? https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=EvenUp
A friend of my is currently in a boot after rupturing their achillies and has found one of these so useful x

Perfect!! Thanks so much. Ordering one

OP posts:
Primproperpenny · 22/09/2023 21:30

Can you hire an automatic/electric car for the next few weeks? You’d just need your good foot for the pedals as no clutch.

LaughingLemur · 22/09/2023 21:30

When I had a boot with a metatarsal fracture I borrowed some crutches and went out walking with them as it was too sore in the boot for the first couple of weeks. After that I could walk ok in the boot and used insoles plus a heel raise in the other foot to even the height difference out. I could go on the stationary bike with my boot on too. I did lots of core and arms work too so kept quite fit. Bad timing for you, but hopefully you will be ok by the wedding. Just try to avoid anything that gives you a lot of pain so that it has time to heal.

Original poster
owwwfoot · 24/09/2023 13:31

Fed up today.
It sounds like such a first world problem but I’m beginning to realise all the things I can’t just ‘do’. I still have so much wedding prep and finding it really hard. Embarrassed to say I’ve had a cry about it a couple of times, I just feel so useless! I’m prone to anxiety and worried it’ll have a poor affect on my MH :(

OP posts:
fetchacloth · 24/09/2023 14:45

owwwfoot · 24/09/2023 13:31

Fed up today.
It sounds like such a first world problem but I’m beginning to realise all the things I can’t just ‘do’. I still have so much wedding prep and finding it really hard. Embarrassed to say I’ve had a cry about it a couple of times, I just feel so useless! I’m prone to anxiety and worried it’ll have a poor affect on my MH :(

I do feel for you, and the timing isn't great. Are you getting enough help with the wedding prep? Maybe if a friend or relative can help you with that, it lightens the load.