Mobility, interrupted
Cheryl Unruh, Emporia
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
I don't get out of the house much these days.
Can you say fifth metatarsal? Can you say broken?
It’s a sports-related injury; I broke my foot jumping rope, my fitness activity of choice, one I’ve done more or less daily for at least a decade.
Recently, I bought a new pair of shoes. Bad shoes. Shoes that I now spit on.
I’ve learned, a little too late, that I tend to supinate, land toward the outside of my foot. And these new shoes do not have the broad sole that my previous ones offered.
While jumping the other day, when I came down on the outside edge of the new shoe, it did not support me. My right foot curled under, breaking the bone that connects to the little toe.
Since my injury, ten people have related their broken fifth metatarsal stories to me, so — let my broken foot be a lesson to others: check your athletic shoes — is the tread worn more on the outside or the inside edge of the sole? When shopping for your next pair, consider shoes with soles that help compensate if you pronate (lean in) or supinate (lean out).
I can’t put any weight on the foot for six weeks. I can either hop or use crutches. And when I pulled the crutches from their safety seals, I enthusiastically flung myself through the air on them. Whee!
It reminded me of when my brother and I were kids and we set up a make-shift track meet area in our backyard which included a crossbar that we polevaulted over. So, my new crutches were fun in a polevaulting kind of a way. For the first five minutes. Then I realized how exhausting polevaulting is.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I taught myself how to walk with crutches. Trial and error is a difficult way to learn. And I’m thinking that the combination of crutches and stairs is nature’s way of thinning out the population.
I’ve gained much more empathy and appreciation for others with disabilities, because it’s very clear to me now that each person has adapted and found clever ways to compensate for an out-of-order limb or other malfunctioning body part.
Doing things — anything — now comes with forethought. Because walking with crutches takes five times the effort, efficiency of movement is vital. And any poorly-planned movement could cause secondary injuries.
Determined not to be helpless, I’ve tried to do as much as possible around the house. Dave took over the laundry chores (evil staircase) and grocery shopping (it’s my right foot, I can’t drive), but I’m still cooking and washing dishes.
One learns what works and what doesn’t. For instance — filling ice cube trays then hopping on one leg to the freezer doesn’t work. Water spills on the floor, creating a dangerous environment for anyone (namely me) on crutches.
During the first three days, crutch ruts developed under my arms — tender skin, chafing, and bruising. After complaining about the excruciating armpit soreness, someone clued me in that my arms and shoulders, not my armpits, should support my weight.
Also by the third day, my left leg, which will be double the size of my withering right leg by the end of this event, was tired of hopping.
Early that morning as I leaned my crutches against the counter to hop around the kitchen, my left foot groaned and asked, “Seriously? You want me to hop again today?”
Every step with crutches gave me pain, but, yes, disability encourages resourcefulness. You find tricks and contraptions to make your life work. I thought of something that might help and sent an e-mail request to my friend Jackie Stibal Lutz.
“I never thought I’d be excited about using a walker,” I laughed. Jackie had delivered to me her late mother’s walker — a walker with four wheels (and brakes) and a bench seat.
Around the house, my borrowed scooter-walker beats the polevaulting-crutches all to heck. Now I can transport books, food and iced tea, and fill ice cube trays without spilling a drop.
And it’s fun! I rest the knee of my bum leg on the seat, give a push with my left leg and sail across the hardwood floor in the living room. Whee!
“Flyover People” is online at www.flyoverpeople.net. Cheryl Unruh can be reached at cheryl@flyoverpeople.net.
madpoet (anonymous) says...
If you have to go up stairs with crutches, do it backwards. I saw it on tv and it really seemed to work.
September 1, 2009 at 3:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
Sorry to hear about your situation, Cheryl. Ouch! But I'm surprised that your doctor didn't have someone to teach you how to use crutches because there is a trick to it as you are learning.
On shoes -- I don't believe there's a living soul in Emporia who knows how to fit anyone for shoes, especially athletic shoes. They just sell you what you pick out. Too bad.
September 1, 2009 at 5:01 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
justaflushaway (anonymous) says...
Why was the "Madelynn's" comments totally removed from the comment area, Some of the comments were seemed not to be bashing , BUT guess this is how you control freedom of speech, well, today your president will now take over the computers when ever he wants, maybe you the gazette czars are ahead of him
September 1, 2009 at 5:33 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
justaflush,
Someone has begun a new comment in the News Forum section regarding Madelynn's.
September 1, 2009 at 6:59 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
neighbor (anonymous) says...
Sorry to read about your injury Cheryl, and yes, I've had a Jones fracture too. Drove myself to the hospital at 3am, it happened at work. The nurse in the ER informed me I wouldn't be walking, let alone driving if I had broke my foot. After the typical 1.5hr wait for all the paperwork to be filled out, they wheeled me down to xray. When the nurse returned with them, she suddenly became a caring and sympathetic person again after eating crow. Of course, nothing could be done that night, so I drove myself home. Long story short, after a month of wearing a wooden slipper that supposedly was going "help the foot heal", I ended up having surgery to have a pin installed. According to the Orthopedist, it was the only way the Jones fracture will heal. Keep that in mind. It felt great after the surgery. I was out at the company Christmas party the next night.
Get better soon.
September 2, 2009 at 1:59 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
cheryl (anonymous) says...
Thanks for the good wishes, create and neighbor. And madpoet, I'll give the backwards-up-the-stairs a try one of these days. Maybe. Mostly I avoid steps. They're just trouble.
September 2, 2009 at 7:41 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )