Choosing the Best Mobility Aid for a Broken Foot or Ankle: Crutches vs. Wheelchairs
Key Takeaways
- Choosing the right mobility aid can be difficult after you break your foot or ankle
- Crutches are easy to transport and build arm strength, but they require balance and don’t allow you to hold objects
- Wheelchairs are comfortable and allow you to carry around other objects, but they’re heavy and don’t allow your uninjured leg to get exercise
- There are many benefits and drawbacks to both crutches and wheelchairs, learn more so you can pick the best option for yourself
- Plus, discover 7 must-have products during your recovery
Top Products in This Article
A broken foot or ankle is painful. Even after the pain fades, keeping the weight off your injured foot can limit your mobility. How do you choose the right mobility aid? We’ve done the research for you. Find the choice that fits your needs best.
Crutches
Pros
Crutches are the least expensive aid. They’re light and small making it easy to transport them by yourself. Just toss them in your car and go. The size also makes them easier to use in tiny spaces, like your bathroom. You can also use them on the stairs. Another benefit? Crutches build arm strength and exercise your uninjured leg too.
Cons
There are some negatives to crutches. Using them requires upper body strength and good balancing skills. Otherwise, you’re at risk for falling and injuring yourself further. Crutches offer less stability than a wheelchair or knee walker. This means it can be hard to use them if it’s slippery from rain or snow. Additionally, while proper fit should reduce pain, the pressure can cause shoulder, arm, or hand pain. Because you need to use both hands to move, it’s hard to hold objects while walking, especially drinks that can spill.
Crutches are my choice: Days Adjustable Crutches are height adjustable for a good fit. Use these crutches to keep the weight off of an injured foot, ankle, or knee.
Wheelchair
Pros
A wheelchair is convenient because you can carry objects on your lap or hold them in a bag or on a tray. It’s easy to carry around essentials from a magazine, to a TV remote, to groceries. It’s more comfortable choice for many people, compared to crutches. Wheelchairs have the most stability of all the mobility aids and don’t require any balancing. Plus, you can use the wheelchair in place of a kitchen or desk chair without needing to transfer.
Cons
Wheelchairs also have the drawbacks you’d probably expect. They are bigger and heavier giving you poor mobility in tight areas, including the bathroom. The size makes transporting them in a car more difficult. Obviously, unlike crutches, you can’t use a wheelchair on the stairs. This means using the elevator in public and figuring out another way to overcome any stairs in your home. The largest negative is that wheelchairs don’t let your uninjured leg do any work. This means both of your legs will be weak and require more exercise when you start walking again.
A wheelchair sounds like the best aid for me: The Days Escape Lite Self-Propelled Wheelchair is lightweight and can be folded into a compact size for easy transportation. Decide if you would like the standard or narrow wheelchair and then choose between three colours (silver blue, racing green, or purple).
7 Other Must-Haves During Recovery
1. An Ice Pack
Applying ice to your cast helps reduce inflammation and encourages healing. TheraPearl Hot and Cold Packs have a pack that’s designed to fit around your ankle and others you could use for your foot.
2. A wedge pillow
The Rolyan Leg Elevating Splint can be used as a leg wedge to help reduce swelling while healing.
3. Reacher
Don’t let a broken foot or ankle keep you from the things you need. Use a Sammons Preston Reacher to grab anything you need from the TV remote to a box of tissues.
4. Biofreeze
If your injury has left you with other aches and pains, use Biofreeze! Apply the gel to your skin for fast, cooling pain relief!
5. Wheelchair Cushion
Decided to use a wheelchair instead? A seat cushion like the Foam Seat Cushion adds comfy padding. It has high-grade foam for soothing pressure relief.
6. Walking Boot
After your cast is removed, your doctor might recommend a walking boot. This Rolyan Stabilizer Air Walker offers support as you transition to walking again. The rocker bottom encourages a normal gait while the air system absorbs shock to reduce your pain. .
7. TheraBand Resistance Bands
TheraBand 5.5m (6yds) Dispenser Pack can be used for arm workouts while you have your cast on. Shoulder Chest Flies, Elbow Extension, and Shoulder Bench Press exercises can all be done while sitting.
You can use the same resistance band after your cast comes off. First, make sure any exercises are cleared by your doctor. Then do exercises like Ankle Inversion, Ankle Eversion, Ankle Plantar Flexion, and Calf Raise exercises to strengthen your foot, ankle, and leg.
Choose your mobility aid!
Medical Disclaimer: The information provided on this site, including text, graphics, images and other material, are for informational purposes only and are not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other healthcare professional with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition.