Tag Archives: arm sling

How to Shovel Snow When Wearing A Boot, Cast, Brace, or While On Crutches

How to Shovel Snow When Wearing A Boot, Cast, Brace, or While On Crutches

Tip #1 DON’T DO IT!
Yep! Shoveling snow while you are not able to properly bear weight is just not a smart thing to do. Seriously! There’s no way to stand and properly balance yourself, or to turn and pivot correctly without ending flat on your face with the great risk of more injury.

Tip #2 Help the Local Economy and Hire Neighborhood Kids
Pay the kids in the neighborhood their going rate to shovel your yard and sidewalk. You’re keeping them out of trouble, they make a little change, and you get to stay snug in your warm home sipping hot apple cider. As an added bonus – you don’t end up having another injury.

Tip #3 Ask for Help
OK, so you may not want the neighborhood kids doing the job (maybe they’re charging a premium for their services!), but you need help. ASK FOR IT. Simple as that! Family, friends, members of your church or community groups. Use them. They can only help if you ask.

Just say no and back away from the shovel (or snow-blower)! As your non-medical broken bone expert and healing advocate, you must trust me on this!  I’ve dealt with a lot of broken bones (my daughter has had 12!) and heard horror stories from our customers who have made the mistake of thinking they could shovel snow while on crutches (try picturing it and the disastrous results). If you are using any kind of orthopedic device (boot, cast, brace, crutches, knee-walker) you are compromised, which means you must take extra care, and sometimes you just can’t do it all.  Shoveling snow is one of those situations.  Your boots, crutches, casts, knee-walkers are not built for traction in the snow.

So, when it comes to shoveling snow while injured, the answer to the question “How do I shovel snow when injured?” is, “Don’t!”

~Annette
Feel Better, Heal Better!

 

Winter Safety Tips with Crutches (Updated for 2025)

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.

7 Halloween Costume Ideas

I wouldn’t recommend this adorable giraffe costume for anyone who is recovering from an injury.  But, how CREATIVE is Nicole from Pump and Iron?

Do you have a SCARY cast, sling or boot?  This is one of our most popular posts…repurposed for your 2024 Halloween Costume Ideas!

After many years of dealing with my daughter’s 20+ broken bones, I can truly say that it’s never fun having a broken bone or injury – especially during fun and active times like Halloween. What I have learned is how to either conceal, cover or incorporate a cast or boot into a Halloween costume.  Following are my top 7 Halloween costume ideas with some AMAZING photographs from customers: Continue reading

summer questions and answers with castcoverz

Summer Q&A With CastCoverz!

CastCoverz! understands how awful it is to have an injury during the sunny summer months, and we know you have questions about how to stay comfortable and keep doing the activities you love.

Here are answers to some commonly asked questions from how to keep the sand out of your cast, to our waterproof options:

Do your cast covers keep beach sand out?

Our fabric covers, also known as our daily wear products, are stretchy Lycra®/spandex, which is a woven product. Our covers will keep most of the sand out. But, some grains of sand will sneak past the fabric fibers.

Do you sell waterproof covers for an orthopedic fracture boot (aka fracture boot or cam boot)?

No, we don’t.  Why? For 2 very important reasons.

#1 They aren’t manufactured.

#2 It would be a HUGE RISK and UNSAFE product. CastCoverz! manufactures and distributes only “Feel Better, Heal Better”  products. A cover for an orthopedic boot is unsafe because if any water seeped in the wearer would sink like a rock.

Are your covers waterproof, too?   

Our daily wear covers are not waterproof. They are made out of stretchy fabric that covers your cast, brace, or boot. The stretchy fabric, a blend of polyester or cotton and Lycra®/spandex, is a woven product; think bathing suit. So, water flows through the fabric but covers the orthopedic device with a fun fashion statement or a discreet choice. In addition, they don’t seal above your cast or brace which is necessary to waterproof a cast or brace.

IF you’re looking for waterproof options, try DRYPRO® or our latex-free option AquaShieldUSA (both available in arms and legs).

Can I swim in a cast?                                                              

For most orthopedic patients wearing a standard cast and are 7-10 days beyond the injury, the answer is an enthusiastic, “YES!” But, you’ll need to seal that cast in a waterproof product. CastCoverz! is proud to distribute DRYPRO®, the industry standard for a rugged, reliable waterproof product. We also carry a latex-free option, AquaShieldUSA.

We hope these tips help you with your injury during the summer months, and help you keep cool in the sun! We’re here to help you feel better, and heal better.