8 Ways To Make Life Easier On Crutches
“How can I make life easier on axillary (underarm) crutches?” is a question we get a lot at Crutch Grip Strips. We realize that daily life changes quite drastically when one needs to use crutches to be mobile while healing broken bones, keeping the pressure off of a sprained joint, or while recovering from post-op.
In this blog post, we outline 8 different ways to make your life easier on crutches. We list fun ways to make the time go by quickly, and there are also practical ideas listed to make your overall recovery easier.
Let’s jump in and explore the ways you can make your life easier on crutches:
1. Like The Eagles Say, “Take It Easy”
During this time you’re going to need to take it easy, allowing yourself to fully recover. You’ll want to find the comfiest spots in your house and turn them into your designated crutch areas. Find a nice TV tray, or small coffee table and make sure the TV remote is within reach, a few books and magazines, your phone, and some snacks and drinks are readily available.
2. Crutch Grip Strips Will Save Your Sanity
The added frustration of crutches constantly falling when recovering from an injury or surgery can inhibit healing and happiness. These four strips that you add to your crutches help stop the surface slides and the fall. With them on your crutches, you will be able to rest your crutches with confidence in the house, at work, or out in public. Ending the embarrassing tumble of the crutches.
3. Ask For Help
It's sometimes hard to imagine how hard it is on crutches until you’re actually using them. There is always a constant battle of having crutches out of reach (unless you’re using Crutch Grip Strips), your arms hurt, you can’t get comfy, and doing daily tasks can be stressful and dreadful. That’s where your family and friends can step in and help you. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Write your grocery list on a note and text it to a friend, or simply ask someone to come over and socialize with you. Driving will most likely not be an option. If you have family members nearby, ask them to drive you to where ever you need to go.
4. Keep Exercising
The earlier you can get involved with a physical therapist, the better. While you will want to sit around the house as moving around can, and will, be difficult, it will be important to keep yourself moving, allow your heart rate to get up, and sweat a little bit.
5. Wear Comfortable and Supportive Shoes
Comfortable shoes should be your only option. The last thing you need to do is to injure your good leg because you’re wearing worn-out, unstable shoes. Remember, your good leg, ankle, and foot has a lot more responsibility and weight bearing down on it right now—give yourself and those body parts all the support and care they need to get you out of the crutches sooner than later.
6. Make Your Crutches Fun
Your crutches won’t be going away for at least several weeks if not months. It’s best to just accept them by making them the most comfortable with a variety of accessories and add-ons that are available.
Crutch Grip Strips: You’re already injured. Don’t risk injuring yourself again from picking up fallen crutches off the floor, or if they are out of reach.
Pockets: There are hundreds of options on Amazon that provide the options to store water bottles, headphones, and more!
Crutch Tips: Almost all crutches are not made for wet surfaces. This means rain or kitchen clumsiness can be a disaster if your tips slip.
If accessories like mentioned above aren’t something you’re interested in, you could add fun colored or pattered tape, or stickers of your favorite animals, sports teams, or TV characters to your crutches to personalize them!
7. Practice Patience
Allow for extra time to get ready for the day as it will take longer for you to get ready and do simple tasks. You might get easily frustrated, but take a deep breath, reset, and know that simple tasks with crutches are now going to take extra time.
8. Make Crutches Fit Correctly
Make sure your crutches are adjusted correctly to your height. Washington University Oropedics recommends the following instructions:
How to fit your crutches:
Stand tall with your shoes on. Make sure your shoes have low heels and good support.
Put the crutches under your arms. Relax your arms and let them hang down over the crutches. There should be a two-inch space between your armpit and the top of the crutch with your hands hanging relaxed.
The hand grips should be at the level of your wrist when holding the hand grips.
Your elbows should be bent slightly to about thirty degrees.
It Will Get Easier
While being restricted to crutches can put you into a sad state of mind, and oftentimes provide more frustration than anything, the most important thing to remember during this period is that your life is not over.
The limitations imposed by crutches are annoying, to be sure, but you’ll be surprised by how fast you can adapt to them. Taking into consideration the different ways we’ve outlined to make your life easier on crutches can help improve your quality of life during this time, and sooner than later you’ll be able to get back to life as it was before!