Tag Archives: broken bone

5 Exercises Despite a Broken Ankle

Guest Post by Goodbye Crutches

TimelinePhoto3

When you break your ankle, you may feel like your exercising days are behind you, but they’re not! Now that spring is in the air, you are even more likely to want to start moving again. While it’s true, you will have to give up training for the next marathon or even speed walking, there are still plenty of things you can do. Your mode of exercise will change for a while, with only one leg to stand on, but you shouldn’t sit on the couch all day, either. Here are a few workouts you can do with a broken ankle.

1. Physical Therapy Moves
When you break your ankle, you may have to do some physical therapy to help the area retain full working mode once the cast comes off. These exercises will also help eliminate pain and stiffness, which are essential to recovery and will help the injured area heal faster.

2. Weight Lifting
Keep a set of small hand weights by the couch to work your arms and shoulders. You can also do pull-ups, and even some push-ups, as long as you are careful to keep the weight off your broken ankle.

3. Sit Ups
If your core is strong, the rest of your body works better. You can prop both of your legs up on a chair and work your core muscles with a variety of crunches and stretches, without putting any pressure on your broken ankle.

4. Back Stretches
You will want to keep your back strong to help the recovery process as well, especially if you use crutches as your mobility device. You can perform hyperextensions, seated rows, or even stretches to keep your back toned and supportive.

5. Swimming
If your doctor gives your permission, you can swim with a waterproof cast or use a DryPro waterproof cast protector. Swimming works your whole body without putting any pressure or strain on your broken ankle.

Now that the spring air surrounds you every time you go outside, it’s harder to sit inside and stay in the stationary position. You might have to scale back on workouts, but you don’t have to get rid of them completely. Simply modify what you used to do. Working out Goodbye Crutches Knee Scooter will help you get around on crutches easier, but keep in mind that Goodbye Crutches has three alternatives to crutches that can make your life more mobile throughout recovery. Consider using the Hands Free Crutch, the Knee Scooter, or the Seated Scooter instead. You may also want to check out CastCoverz! fun and functional orthopedic accessories, such as covers for casts and crutches. Legz! cast covers will keep your cast covered, clean, and snag-free, while CrutchWear crutch covers add comfort and function while crutching around. If you are lying horizontal or confined to a wheelchair and want to work out, keep mobile and fit, In Bed Med Recovery is the ultimate solution for you! Be sure to check out these fantastic options for staying fit while laid up, and take good and careful care!

Foods That Heal Bones

Leave a reply

Guest Post By Leslie Vandever

Healthy-bones

Good bone health is vital. Our bones protect our vital organs—the heart, lungs, liver, and brain. They provide the framework for the entire body, allowing us to move and live independently. But, say you’ve broken a bone. It might be your wrist, which cracked when you slipped on an icy patch and fell. Or maybe you broke your leg skiing, or your arm, or hip, or fingers or toes. Unfortunately, accidents do happen.

Bone is living tissue. When it breaks, cells from the blood flow into the injured area and start the process of turning into new bone. Healing time varies, depending on the severity of the injury, your general health, your sleep habits, hydration, and how much daily exercise you get.

Your diet can make an appreciable difference in your healing time, as well. Your body must have a steady supply of certain nutrients to build new bone, remodel injured bone, and maintain bone that already exists. You can choose to eat in a way that helps that process along.

Good bone health requires, first of all, a well-rounded, nutritious diet. A healthy one includes foods that are high in protein, like lean meat, chicken or fish (or beans and legumes, if you prefer), nuts and eggs, and an abundance of fresh vegetables and fruits of all kinds every day. Limit foods that are high in carbohydrates, like those made from refined white flour. Focus instead on whole-grain breads, pastas, and cereals. Stick to healthy, plant-based, unsaturated fats for cooking and eating, like olive or canola oil, and avoid sugary foods and beverages except as rare special treats.

Calcium is one of the most important minerals needed for bone health and healing. Other parts of the body need calcium, as well, and the bones act as calcium storehouses. Foods that are rich in calcium include: Milk, yogurt, cheese, almonds, broccoli, kale, collard greens, mustard greens and other green leafy vegetables, liver, beans & legumes, shrimp, canned salmon with bones, other saltwater fish, and calcium-fortified soy products.

When it comes to bones, however, you also need to get an adequate daily amount of vitamin D. Your gut can’t absorb the calcium you eat without this essential nutrient. One of the best ways to get enough vitamin D is to spend some time each day outside, in the sunshine. When the ultraviolet rays of the sun hit your skin, your body produces vitamin D endogenously, making it the only vitamin that we don’t necessarily have to get from the foods we eat. But be mindful about staying out in the sun for too long. Sunburn can cause skin cancer. Try not to spend more than 10 minutes at a time out in the sun, unprotected.

Although there are only a few foods that supply vitamin D in the diet, they do exist. They include: Cod liver oil, salmon, swordfish, tuna fish, sardines, liver, egg yolk, orange juice fortified with vitamin D, vitamin D-fortified milk (whole, skim, or non-fat), swiss cheese, fortified yogurt, and fortified cereals. You can also get vitamin D from supplements, either prescribed by your doctor or over-the-counter at the drugstore. Recommended dosage is between 400 mgs and 1,000 mgs daily. Take care, though: more than 2,000 mgs of vitamin D per day can be toxic.

Calcium and vitamin D are both essential for bone health throughout your life. Make sure you’re getting enough of both each and every day.

Leslie Vandever is a professional journalist and freelance writer with more than 25 years of experience. She lives in Northern California.

References:
Vitamin D. (2014, Nov. 10) National Institutes of Health. Retrieved on December 19, 2014 from http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/
Bone Health for Life: Health Information Basics for You and Your Family. (2014, July) National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Retrieved on December 19, 2014 from http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Bone/Bone_Health/bone_health_for_life.asp
Making Wise Choices in Each Food Group. (2014) U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved on December 19, 2014 from http://www.veteranshealthlibrary.org/Search/142,41395_VA
Bone Health: Tips to Keep Your Bones Healthy. (2013, Feb. 9) Mayo Clinic. Retrieved on December 19, 2014 from http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/adult-health/in-depth/bone-health/art-20045060

American Healthcare System, Not So Bad

Leave a reply

It seems as though everybody has something to say about the quality of Healthcare in the United States these days, but we are still very blessed!

A recent and exhaustive study of third-world countries shows sub-par care, when it comes to fractures. Mohit Bhandari, M.D., professor and research chair in Orthopaedic Surgery at McMaster University in Canada says, “From the data on our initial 6,000 patients, we found that some people wait up to four days to have an open fracture treated. In rural India, 70% of people traveling to a hospital for care arrive in something other than an emergency vehicle, even rickshaws. Within 30 days, 18% of these patients have major complications. And amazingly, 59% of patients experienced a delay in irrigation and debridement (between 7-48 hours). Mortality is 2% in 30 days, but we are not capturing those who already died on the street. And while 2% may not sound shocking, imagine that many people coming into a U.S. hospital with only a fracture and being dead within 30 days.”

These statistics are quite shocking! When negative thoughts and words are being said about our healthcare system in the U.S., remind yourself and others around you that we are extremely blessed to have what we have, in comparison to healthcare in third-world countries.

Source: “Massive, 40,000 Patient Global Trauma Study Launched“, Elizabeth Hofheinz, M.P.H., M.Ed

8 Things You Must Know About Wearing a Cast

Leave a reply

If you have injured a bone or ligament, or had surgery, your doctor may choose to apply a cast. A cast will immobilize the injured area to allow healing. Wearing a cast will feel awkward and inconvenient, but here are some important things you should know.

5 Things You Must Know About Wearing a Cast:

1. The most important thing you must know about wearing a cast is to keep it DRY! This is the #1 request of orthopedic doctors. If your cast gets wet and becomes gooey inside, your skin could get raw and quite possibly infected (ewww), while the cast loses it’s integrity…Oh No! Fear not, CastCoverz! will help you keep your cast dry, clean, and scratch & snag-free with fabric cast covers and waterproof cast protectors, which allow you to bathe and swim, while keeping your cast dry! If you have to be injured, might as well add some personality with cast covers and have a little fun with waterproof protectors!

TimelinePhoto3

2. Keep your broken bone elevated above the level of your heart, especially in the first 24-48 hours. This will be crucial in helping reduce the swelling and pain.

3. Know that it is very normal to lose muscle mass in the area that is casted. When your cast is removed, you will notice your arm or leg being very scrawny and weak (gasp!,) this is to be expected. No worries, you’ll gain your muscle mass back in no time!

4. Do not stick anything inside your cast, especially sharp objects to scratch an itch. This can cause a skin breakdown, your incision to get infected, or your item could get lost in the abyss of your cast (uh-oh!) If you have an itch, try the CastCooler®. This dad-invented product reduces itch and keeps your cast fresh and odor-free by drying out the moisture in the lining. All you need is the hose of your vacuum cleaner! It’s a BLAST of fresh air for your icky, stinky, itchy cast.

5. Feeling claustrophobic from your cast? With the CastCooler, the cool, fresh air will relieve that stifling feeling. What a relief! Side benefit of the CastCooler: It will dry out your cast, if accidentally spilled or splashed on, especially these hot summer days!

6. Your cast will scratch and catch everything in sight…your favorite sweater, those expensive Egyptian sheets, car upholstery, Fido the family dog, Grandma’s dining room table, and everything you can imagine! Keep your cast clean and protect your favorite items and people by wearing CastCoverz! daily! These fashionable and functional cast covers come in a wide variety of fabrics from solid colors to bold, vibrant prints.

7. Casts get dirty and are just plain ugly! Prevent daily grime, spaghetti sauce, and coffee stains from putting a damper on your day. It’s bound to happen, but with CastCoverz!, you’re covered because we care! Our fabric cast covers will hide the grime and give your cast some personality. Go bold, go beautiful, or stay neutral with our wide variety of fabrics. Simply remove and hand wash to keep your cover clean.

8. Please call your doctor if you experience any of the following; swelling, fever, cast feels too tight or too loose, cast breaks or cracks, or if you have ANY questions or concerns about your condition or care of your cast.

For more info on cast care, check out the following article: Care of Casts and Splints by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. With proper cast care, a cast will do it’s job and promote healing effectiveness!