Transitioning from non weight bearing to weight bearing
Standing with equal weight on both feet
This has been an exciting, exhilarating and painful week! I have spent 5 weeks dreaming of the day when I would be able to start putting weight on my foot. I knew it would be a painful transition, but I never thought about how much it would hurt! My foot definitely has enjoyed it’s “vacation” and does NOT want to be called into service again!
After several endeavors of trying to stand and several clumsy attempts at trying to walk I discovered several things:
1. It is too painful to walk in sneakers yet. My surgeon has given me permission to try and walk in my sneakers, but at this point in my journey it is just too painful.
2. Slowly easing into equal weight bearing causes less pain. I have been experimenting with partial weight bearing in my boot. I found that if I stand up putting all my weight on my left foot and slowly ease into partial weight on my right foot, (with the boot on) the pain level is much diminished. This morning I was able to stand with weight equally on both feet for a few minutes with a minimal amount of pain. (level 2.) This is HUGE for me.
3. Walking slowly in my boot is possible. I have been trying to “walk” with my boot on and found that taking it slow….really slow….I mean like tortoise slow, makes my foot have a chance to adjust to the weight and is less painful. “Walking” in my boot causes pain at a level 4 so I am only trying this a few times a day.
4. I never considered how many steps it takes to get from point A to point B. Honestly, I look at my living area differently now. Everything is judged by how many steps it will take to arrive. It takes much longer to navigate around my living space than it did with my scooter, so I am still using my scooter for most of the day.
5. My foot swells and aches when I try to do too much. I have to listen to my foot when it says it’s had enough. Ice and elevation are still a part of my daily life.
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