I Walk Free
Many of my readers will know that I’m currently recovering from an ankle fracture. I broke my ankle in 3 places while out walking in the Brecon Beacons. The full tale of that adventure, being rescued and heli-vac to hospital was told in a previous blog post.
The worst thing about a broken ankle (or any non load bearing injury) is the lack of mobility. One has to use crutches or a zimmer frame to get around, both devices come with their own issues. The hospital gave me crutches, so let’s look at some of the problems I encountered with my crutches.
- No hands. This is a biggie. When walking with crutches, its impossible to carry anything or do any work.
- One hip. When at rest, all weight is taken by one hip. That strictly limits how long you can stand up, the good leg is under stress and gets tired quickly.
- Arm and shoulder strain. I’m heavy and transferring my entire body weight to my arms and shoulders repeatedly caused them to ache.
- Stairs are difficult and hard work, especially if the bannister is on the ‘wrong’ side (i.e. away from the injury) or if there’s no bannister.
- Crutches can be lethal in the wet. I nearly went over a couple of times due to wet slippery surfaces.
- That all adds up to a very limited range and an uncomfortable solution.
That’s all changed now though. Today, for the first time in 5 weeks, I was able to make my own breakfast and carry a cup of tea back to my workstation to write this blog post.
When googling ‘ankle anatomy’ with Bing, I discovered a gadget called iWALK-Free. The device is of Canadian origin and is distributed in the UK by www.peglegs.co.uk (from here on, I’m going to refer to the device as a ‘pegleg’). I was intrigued, so on Monday I met with the owner, Jerry Jones and he showed me the pegleg device. I was hooked and decided to try it out.
The pegleg replaces the lower leg below the knee. The wearer kneels on a comfortable tray that supports the lower leg, bent at 90 degrees. The device then straps onto the good part of the lower and upper leg in three places. Everything is quick-adjust and quick-release, it is easy to get on and off and comfortable in use.
The device takes two or three days to properly get used to, as it is a new way of walking and balance has to be re-learned. However, with care, it is possible to start using the device immediately. I discovered that using a walking pole for balance (no load bearing) increases confidence. Immediate benefits I noticed were that I was once again spreading my weight on two hips and my hands were free to do other things. Already a big win over crutches.
On day one, after having the device for only an hour, I felt confident enough to leave my crutches at home and go to the hospital for my check-up without them. I walked to the ambulance, and I walked from the ambulance into the fracture clinic. I rather enjoyed the attention I got because none of the nurses or doctors had ever seen one of these devices. The orthopaedic team were also very interested in the device.
Today is day two. My cup of tea is extra-lovely today because I made it myself. I’m going back to make another one.