Tag Archives: crutches

Playground Safety: It Can Make or Break Your Summer Fun!

With the weather heating up, the excitement of summer vacation becomes evident in schools & daycares everywhere! Staying safe for summer continues to be a top priority, especially when statistics show playground injuries escalate in the month prior to and after summer! It seems that the anticipation of summer or returning to school increases the odds of accidental injury occurring during playtime. In fact: 

*  40% of all injuries occur at the beginning and the end of every school year   

*  70% occur on public playgrounds

*  70% of those injuries are severe and involve falls to the surface?

*  that severe injury includes concussions, stitches, fractures and even worse?

CRAZY, right?! Who knew the changing of seasons could have such a large impact on the number of childhood injuries, especially in a playground setting.   Perhaps it’s the influx of excitement or the increased time playing outside in sunny weather; there are many common factors that attribute to the increase in injuries. However, in many cases, these startling accidents can be prevented.  Here are a few simple tips to ensure that your little ones stay safe for summer:

Playground Safety

  1. Responsible Supervision – Close supervision by a responsible adult may be the most important factor in preventing injury. Adults should keep a watchful eye on children while they are at play to help prevent accidents or even playground scuffles that can lead to an accident.
  2. Age-Appropriate Areas – When visiting a playground, look around to make sure it has a separate, age-appropriate area for children 5 and under. This will prevent little ones from getting injuries from accidents or collisions with older children.
  3. Avoid Hazards – Being aware includes looking for hazards, such as broken playground equipment and dangerous surfaces. In addition, make sure the grounds are as free of any debris (i.e. litter, glass) as much as possible. This can help prevent children from tripping and falling to the ground or causing other injuries like cuts.
  4. Impact Absorbing Surfaces – There are surfaces specifically designed to help absorb impact in case of an accident. These are the best surfaces for children to play on. Look for playgrounds that have rubber mats or shredded rubber, artificial turf, or even mulch. There are a variety of substances, but the point is to avoid having children at play on non-impact absorbing surfaces, such as concrete or gravel.
  5. Check Clothing – During the fall and winter months, we often dress our children in layers. This could include hoodies, sweatshirts, or other items that have drawstrings around the neck. To help avoid having children getting these strings caught on playground equipment, parents should remove hood and neck drawstrings from outerwear.
  6. Remove Bike Helmets – Sometimes parents feel it’s best for children to play while wearing bike helmets to protect their heads in case of an accidental fall. This actually could impede your child’s play for numerous reasons and lead to serious injury. Therefore, it is recommended that bike helmets be removed before children use playground equipment.
  7. Encourage Proper Behavior – One of the best ways to prevent playground injuries is to teach children proper playground behavior (such as no pushing, shoving, or crowding). Teaching children how to play properly and be respectful of others on playground equipment can help prevent many injuries and scuffles that could lead to injury.

Being safe is the farthest thing from a child’s mind.  It is the parents’, educators’, and playground supervisors’ job to alert our children about the potential dangers of school playgrounds. It all starts with these few tips. To help ensure that your child’s teacher and care-providers are informed, use this handy tip sheet provided by Safe Kids Worldwide.

For additional tips on the prevention of broken bones and other “Feel Better, Heal Better” topics, spend a little time on our blog.

Already Injured? We’ve Got You Covered

Maybe you’ve stumbled across our website because your child has already experienced misfortune on the playground!  As you can imagine, a child in any type of cast or orthopedic device faces a number of discomforts; casts scratching on skin or Fido, snagging clothing or furniture, not being able to play in water without waterproof protection boots getting dirty from constant wear & tear? CastCoverz! offers a number of colorful solutions to brighten your child’s injury, helping your little one feel better & heal better.  

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Winter Safety Tips with Crutches

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Helpful information for anyone on crutches this winter season!

Nursing an injury during winter poses many risks and challenges. Any other season seems awkward enough getting around on crutches, but add snow and ice into the mix and disaster awaits. Of course, precautions and steps can be made to reduce the dangers and possibility of further injuries (and without becoming a hermit).

Crutches are going to be dangerous no matter what, but here are 5 safety tips to help you handle the winter months on crutches:

  1. Keep Crutches in Good Working Condition

In order to make sure crutches are as stable as possible, you will want them to be in the best possible working order. Even at the slightest show of wear, get new tips. New tips will help prevent sliding on the snow and ice. Since the tips grip the ground, a little wear can cause an accident. You can also purchase ice grip tips to help get even better traction on snow and ice. Also, make sure the crutches are adjusted to fit you perfectly so you can walk upright as comfortably and slowly as possible.

  1. Use Sand or Salt

Keep some sidewalk salt or sand in your car with you at all times. Whenever you have to get out somewhere that looks slippery spread a little sand or salt right outside your car door so you can get your crutches and steady yourself as safe as possible. You will want to keep your driveway and sidewalks salted as well, but when you have no control over the street conditions, keep that salt and sand handy to do the best at keeping yourself safe.

  1. Alternatives to Crutches

No matter how well you do on crutches, they still pose a risk when used in the winter. The Seated Scooter, for example, is a wheeled device that allows you to sit and scoot yourself from place to place while keeping your bad leg elevated and out of the way. You will remain stable at all times in the seated position and you don’t have to worry about slipping at all. The Knee Scooter works much the same way, only you stand and place the knee of your bad leg on the padded area. You have handlebars to keep you stable and a basket to carry your keys and other items. Even The Hands-Free Crutch is a better option than crutches. This device attaches to your bad leg and allows you to walk much like normal while retaining the use of your hands. Having your hands available to balance you is never a bad thing in the winter.

  1. Ask for Help

Independence is important, but when it comes to your safety, sometimes you have to do what you have to do. Ask friends and family members to run some of your errands for you so you don’t have to venture out into the cold, icy weather. When you do go out, try to have someone meet you at your car to help usher you inside safely. Having one injury is bad enough; you don’t want to add another to it.

  1. Think of Comfort

In order to advance your recovery, you need to think of your comfort, as well as your safety. Things like cold toes can not only be uncomfortable and irritating, but also dangerous in colder temperatures.  CastCoverz! Sleeperz! for leg casts (arm casts too!) and  Sleeping Bagz! for boots are made from soft fleece to keep your toes warm and cozy, while protecting your sheets from snags and cooties, too!  Be sure to check out our Bootz! and BootGuardzXtreme! to keep your toes & boots protected from the elements and clean while wearing a walking boot out in snowy and rainy conditions. Think through other comfort levels and research what you can do to fix them during the winter months.

Safety must be a high priority for you while you recover. And while safety should always be at the forefront, winter creates more obstacles to consider (and are often overlooked). Think ahead and use these tips to get yourself to the other side of the season safely, on crutches.

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Activities You Can Do In the Snow While Injured

With the winter months upon us, there’s always one thing on everybody’s mind… Snow! There are so many activities to enjoy outside in the snow, but what if you’re in a boot or cast, are using crutches, or have your arm in a cast or sling? Well, there’s fun out there for you, too! Here are just a few great activities you can do in the snow while injured… (Regardless of our suggestions, we urge you to use common sense and to always follow your doctor’s advice!) Continue reading

how to survive the holidays on one foot

How to Survive the Holidays on One Foot

Christmas is a magical time of the year…so much to see and do…so little time. Add to that the fact that this year, you only have one foot on which to do it all and Christmas becomes a bit of a nightmare. How will you do it? Here are a few tips to help you survive and even enjoy the holiday season despite your injury.

Tip #1:  Scale Back

You say you’re going to do it every year, and yet you never do. This year it’s the time to actually do it.  Everyone will understand if your house isn’t decorated to the hilt. Your family will understand if you want to skip a few parties to rest. And your friends will know why they are getting gift cards instead of a carefully chosen gift. You might even find that doing less allows you to enjoy more!

Tip #2:  Ask for Help

There’s nothing wrong with asking for a little help, especially during the holiday season. If you need help decorating, running errands, or getting around in the cold and snow, just ask! People are in a very giving spirit this time of year and they will likely welcome your requests with open arms. You simply can’t do it all on one foot so ask for help and do what you can!

Tip #3:  Look into Alternatives to Crutches

In order to enjoy as much mobility as possible during Christmas and the duration of your recovery, consult a company such as KneeRover® and see what options there are that can help you get off those crutches and onto a device that will help you get around with more comfort and ease. The Seated Scooter is ideal for snow and ice because you can sit and scoot yourself around ensuring that you will never slip and fall.  The Steerable Knee Scooter is also very stable and allows you to kneel, scoot and “move free” while you keep your bad leg up and elevated.  Another product, the iWALK3.0 Hands Free Crutch, helps you to retain the use of both hands at all times while you get around. Think about how each of the three options works and choose what would be best for your needs.

Tip #4:  Schedule Rest

It’s easy to get into the family celebrations and parties and forget about what your recovery needs are. It is important, however, to make sure you get the rest you need in order to keep your healing on track. Once you know how much rest you need, be sure that you get it no matter what else is going on.

Tip #5:  Don’t Overdo it

It’s easy to overdo it on Christmas, even with two feet under you. When you’re on just one, that task is even easier. Listen to your body carefully and make sure you only do what you really feel you can do. You don’t want to spend more time recovering because you overexerted yourself during the holidays.

Tip #6:  Invite and Decline

If it’s easier for you to host than to attend parties this year, invite the people you really want to see over and decline other invitations. It’s okay to skip a few things and do other things differently this year. You can go back to doing it all next year!

Tip #7:  Put Recovery Items on your Gift List

There are a number of things you might want to add to your list to help you get through Christmas and the rest of your recovery. CastCoverz! cast and walking boot covers will not only keep your toes warm and dry this winter, but you’ll also be giving your orthopedic device lots of personality! Be sure to check out CastCoverz! CrutchWear crutch covers for comfort and convenience, too! The shower stool can help you enjoy your showers again. If you’re a hard-to-buy-for person, these items that you really want and need are great ideas.

Looking for more helpful hints on day-to-day survival while you heal? Check out Cooking while Injured and Doing Household Chores While Injured.  With these tips, you will not only survive Christmas but also enjoy it with a joyful spirit!How to Survive Christmas on One Foot