Tag Archives: waterproof cast protector

5 Exercises Despite a Broken Ankle

Guest Post by Goodbye Crutches

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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 outGoodbye 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!

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How to Stay Cool During the Summer on Crutches

The summer heat can make anyone miserable, but if you have to spend it on crutches, you are worse off than ever before. Having your injured foot or ankle in a walking boot or cast will only make that area sweat even more. Not to mention itch! There are ways you can stay cool during the summer months, even if you have a non-weight bearing injury. Here are some ideas to help you out.

Utilize the CastCooler for Comfort and Relief
girlwcast_261One of the best things you can do for yourself, while in a cast, is invest in a CastCooler. The CastCooler is a great device you simply wrap around your cast, attach to a standard vacuum cleaner hose, turn the vacuum on, and voila, the air removes moisture from the lining under your cast. It will leave you with a cool, fresh feeling that will help you from getting itchy in places you can’t access and keep your cast dry. When your injured area feels cool and fresh, the rest of you will feel cool as well.

Get an Alternative to Crutches
Goodbye Crutches Knee ScooterCrutches take a lot of work and when you’re moving around in the summer heat, you’re going to get hot fast. With the Hands Free Crutch, you can walk much like normal and get around very quickly. The Knee Scooter is easy to use and when you scoot yourself fast enough, you can even make your own breeze. The Seated Scooter allows you to sit and move around so you can rest and keep the sweating to a minimum.

Stay Inside
When the weather predictors are telling you about heat warnings and the danger of a high heat index, you should stay inside and keep cool. Your health is a priority during the recovery process and if you have to spoil yourself a little by staying in the cool air conditioning, then do so.

Drink More Water
One of the ways to help yourself feel cooler on the outside is by keeping your insides hydrated. Drink cool water continuously while you are out in the heat. You will feel better and the water will help keep you cool. You can also put the cool bottle on the back of your neck, forehead, or wherever else is feeling hot to give you some temporary relief.

Submerge in Water with DryPro
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If you have a cast on your foot, you can’t just jump into a pool, unless you have the DryPro Waterproof Cast Protector.  But, that doesn’t mean you can’t at least put one foot in the water. Use your kid’s little blow up pool and sink one foot into the cool water while you watch them play. You might even ask the kids to squirt you with their squirt guns this year!

CastCoverz!

Group Photo with CCZ products and AdGIn order to feel a different kind of cool, take a look at the variety of CastCoverz! you can purchase to hide or jazz up your plain, boring cast, while keeping it clean and snag-free! CastCoverz! provides FUNctional and fashionable orthopedic accessories such as cast covers, walking boot covers, designer color crutches & crutch pads, in addition to comfort and care products. Take the attention off your injury and put it onto your fun and fashionable cast cover instead!

Staying cool during the hot summer months can be a challenge, especially with a non-weight bearing injury. But with a little planning and the above tips, you can ward off a little bit of the misery!

Orthopedic Products to Make Your Recovery Easier

Guest Blog Post by Goodbye Crutches:

So, you’re stuck on one foot for the time being. And you’re not too happy about it, either! With today’s modern technology on your side, there are many products that can help make your recovery easier. You don’t have to suffer through it, with no comforts whatsoever. Here are a few items that can help your pain, mobility, comfort, and life in general, as you recover.

Item #1:  Alternatives to Crutches 

If hobbling around on crutches is simply too hard, take heart! You don’t have to! You can look into one of three alternatives to crutches from Goodbye Crutches, that can help you get where you want to go.Goodbye Crutches Some allow you the use of your hands, too. The Hands Free Crutch, for example, straps right to your bad leg and lets you walk much like normal, with both of your hands free at all times. The Knee Walker, on the other hand, is a wheeled device that lets you retain your balance while you scoot yourself from place to place. And the Seated Scooter is a great option for those who want to get in as much rest as possible, while moving around at the same time.

Item #2:  CastShield Waterproof Protector
Taking a shower with a cast is quite an ordeal. You know you aren’t supposed to get it wet, but how can you do that and still get clean? The CastShield allows you to cover your cast, so you don’t get moisture beneath it. It is reusable and comes in a set of two, so you can keep one in the shower and one in your travel bag.

Item #3:  Shower Bench
Once your cast is covered, you can safely shower without getting your cast wet, but that still doesn’t help you balance while you lather, rinse and repeat. The Adjustable Shower Bench, however, allows you to sit and shower, so you don’t have to worry about slipping or just getting off balance. You can finally enjoy your showers again without additional hazards.

Item #4: CastCooler
If your cast starts to itch and smell, in the past the only thing you could do was wait it out and suffer. Some people would even take a wire hanger and stick it down the cast, but that certainly isn’t a good idea. Today, there’s the CastCooler! This device attaches to your cast and your vacuum and it sucks the moisture out from beneath the cast. It leaves you with a cool, fresh, clean feeling.

Item #5: Cozy Toe Warmer
If you have a cast and your toes stick out on the end, they are exposed and cold during much of your recovery. You could try to stretch a sock over your toes, but those socks are hard to get on and off and they don’t really do a good job as it is. The Cozy Toe Warmer fits over your toes like a slipper and straps around the back of your cast with adjustable Velcro. It keeps your toes dry and warm and can even be washed if you get it dirty.

Item #6:  CastCoverz!

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If you’re wearing a cast, boot, splint, brace, or sling, CastCoverz! provides fun and functional products that cover orthopedic devices, offering much needed comfort from scratching, snagging, and so much more. While on crutches, CrutchWear is a must to make those standard-issue crutches more bearable. No matter what the orthopedic event, CastCoverz! has got you covered!

Different Types of Bone Fractures

 

Broken bones (also known as fractured bones) are common for both children and adults.  A broken bone occurs when a force exerted against the bone is stronger than it can structurally withstand.  Most fractures are usually due to a fall, athletic activity, or car accident.  The wrist, ankle, and hip are the most common sites for bone fractures and treatments include setting the broken bone in a cast or surgically pinning the bones back together.

There are many different types of bone fractures, but they are generally placed into one of four different categories:  Displaced, non-displaced, open, and closed.

Here are several different types of common bone fractures…

  • Torus fracture (or buckle fracture) – commonly seen in children due to softer bones, a torus fracture occurs when one side of the bone may buckle upon itself without disrupting the other side, also known as an incomplete fracture
  • Greenstick fracture – a small, slender crack in the bone, which is more common in children because of their flexible bones
  • Open or compound fracture – the broken bone breaks through the skin
  • Closed or simple fracture – the broken bone has not pierced through the skin
  • Displaced fracture – the bone snaps in two or more parts and are no longer aligned
  • Non-displaced fracture – the bone cracks partly or completely but maintains proper alignment
  • Hairline fracture (or stress fracture) – often occurs from repetitive stress to the same bone
  • Single fracture – a single break in one bone
  • Segmental fracture – a fracture in two parts of the same bone
  • Comminuted fracture – the bone is shattered into multiple small pieces

Although no one ever plans on suffering a broken bone, CastCoverz! is here to help you Feel Better, so you Heal Better!  CastCoverz! provides fun and functional products that comfort orthopedic patients; from cast, brace, and walking boot covers to colored crutches, crutch covers, and waterproof cast protectors, we’ve got you covered!