Plaster of Paris

So, what’s the deal with walking in one of those walking boots—you know, the ones with the built-in heel? Is it actually worth it to go out and buy a plastic brace myself instead of just waiting for the hospital to provide one? I ended up breaking my leg, and my doctor mentioned they’ll probably transition me into one of those once the splint comes off... so, has anyone here actually dealt with this before? Any tips?
Hey there.

Check if you’re actually cleared to bear weight. It doesn't matter what kind of cast you've got; it all depends on the specific injury and when the doctor says you can put pressure on it. Honestly, fiberglass is a million times better—it's lighter and you can actually shower normally—unless, of course, you have an allergy to it...

Yeah, he told me I'll be able to walk again...
Did you ever deal with someone like that?

I had a broken ankle and wasn't allowed to put any weight on the cast at all...
Unfortunately, I couldn't go with the plastic one because of an allergy...

Honestly, I’m not even sure if I have an allergy to plastic or what—plus, how long did you actually have to wear that cast? Did you have to deal with a splint before that?
I really hope you're feeling better now and that the pain has finally let up..

Noah Rodriguez94 said:Aha, honestly I don't even know if I'm allergic to plastic. How much time did you spend in a cast? Were you wearing a brace before that?
Hope everything's fine now and the pain's gone..

Everything's perfect—I'm back to jumping around in heels just like before.😍

6 weeks👎
plus about 3 months of physical therapy👎

Aha, that’s awesome... I'm really glad to hear that.
I just hope you didn't have to deal with it during the summer—there's nothing worse than being stuck in a cast while you're sweating through your clothes and dealing with that constant itch.🙂
So, which hospital did they take you to for the casting?

Total summer vibes 😍
in San Francisco
but honestly, summer isn't even that bad since you can just throw on whatever and strip down easier (way less stuff to layer up) 🤣

Seriously, props to you if you managed to deal with that all through the summer—you must have had enough breathing room around your toes. For me, the cast felt like it was suffocating every single part of my toes and even the skin underneath...

The length was fine, tucked under the sole, but my toes were practically bursting out of the sides...

So, I’ve been dealing with this busted leg for about a month now. Basically, my tibia snapped right down near the ankle.

I ended up having surgery where they went in and installed ten screws and a metal plate to hold everything together. No cast for me, though.

Everything on the surface looks like it's healing up pretty well, but honestly, I’m still too terrified to put any real weight on it.

The actual pain is gone, thank God.

Does anyone have a clue how much longer it’ll take before I can actually put some pressure on it? I just want to be able to press down on a clutch hard enough to drive myself around again...

They probably should've told you... Are you even doing physical therapy yet?

I don't know what kind of injury we're talking about here, but I'm guessing you should probably start moving a little bit already.

Just ask... Honestly, the biggest issue with our healthcare system is that we have to Google everything ourselves just to walk into a doctor's office with "smart" questions. They never bother explaining the theory unless you force them to.

Type the diagnosis into a search engine and find what you need. Once you actually have some info, go see an orthopedic surgeon and grill them with questions.

Karen Cox89 said:They really should have told you... Like, are you starting physical therapy yet?

I mean, I don't know exactly what kind of injury we're talking about here, but wouldn't you think they'd suggest getting some light movement in already?

Just ask them! Honestly, the biggest headache with our healthcare system is that we basically have to Google everything ourselves just so we can show up to appointments and hit the doctors with "smart" questions. It’s like there’s no proactive guidance to just walk you through the process before you even ask.

My advice? Type that diagnosis into a search engine and do your own digging. Then, once you actually know what's going on, head over to the orthopedic specialist and grill them with all those questions you found.

Well, they mentioned something along the lines of five to eight weeks. Nothing about using a crutch or putting any weight on my leg.

To be honest, I don't even feel brave enough to put my foot on the ground yet.

Look, I don't know what your deal is, but sitting on the couch isn't the cure-all for every injury. There are times when you seriously need to start moving and engaging those muscles ASAP. If you don't, you're just dragging out the recovery process. Get moving.

goldenowl73 said:I've been dealing with a broken leg for about a month now—fractured my shin right near the ankle.

They had to do surgery, so I've got ten screws and a metal plate holding everything together inside. No cast, though.

On the surface, everything looks like it's healing up just fine, but I’m still too nervous to put any real weight on it.

The pain is pretty much gone at this point.

Does anyone have an idea how long it'll take before I can actually put some pressure on the leg? Just enough to squeeze a clutch so I can get behind the wheel and drive myself around again...

Oh man, a friend of mine had ten screws and a plate put in too, but she was already walking after two months—actually, she was even moving around sooner than that.