Weird question- muscles used while on crutches

I'd recommend getting used to them ahead of time. You can consider it weight training!

My ankle replacement required 4 weeks without my foot being allowed to hit the floor followed by 8 weeks in a boot and crutches. My PT commented that my presurgery thigh and calf strength from swimming helped me immensely when I started PT.

I'd also recommend investing in an "Evenup" shoe leveller for the boot and crutches phase. Clomping around with one leg significantly shorter than the other is murder on the hips and back!

fittocycle wrote: »

Great suggestions! Thanks so much!
I'll definitely practice using the crutches before the surgery. . . especially learning to navigate stairs.
Unfortunately, I'll be completely nonweight bearing for 2-2.5 months. I am concerned about losing leg muscle during that time. However, I'll be in a hard cast so I'm not sure there's much I can do to prevent it then. I do hope to use upper body weights as allowed by my doctor.
I plan on continuing to do cycling, strength training and yoga as much as possible up to my surgery in January. Hoping it will help offset any loss of muscle!

I had one leg flapping in the breeze for a similar length of time (couldn't touch the floor let alone bear any weight).
Lost about 5 inches of quad circumference from my injured leg in that time (but with the caveat I started out with big quads). Your options for rehab should be larger than mine as my injuries were to my knee.

You can do non-weight bearing exercises such as straight leg lifts and possibly leg extensions but for me everything I managed to do was undone by a very unwise choice by my surgeons to put me on total bed rest to give my knee time to heal without me "pushing my rehab too hard".

Although you will inevitably have some muscle atrophy it does come back if you work at it.

Sorry no suggestions for exercise but advise taking things steady when on the move at least at first. I'm glad you can forward plan.

I needed crutches after I broke my ankle on holiday in the Peek District, included an airlift to the nearest hospital and return to accommodation by ambulance. I never have had a codriver even with the grandkids on board there's no other licence in this part of the family. That was a nightmare enough. The real trial was when we were rescued by two other family members on a companionate day off. On a 6 hour drive we stopped needing to use the facilities at a motorway service station, Able-bodied persons give you no quarter.

They thought they could play skittles with me, walking straight for me though I was keeping to my side of the walkway, ungainly as I was only with a couple of days experience, it was as if I had no right to be there. Obviously it was much easier for me to get out of their way, than they mine! My answer was to stand still till I got a series of gaps.

I hope you have a better experience than I had.

It also depends on the type of crutches you will use. I assume you will use the underarm crutches, which are harder to use. I walk full time on forearm crutches and have extremely strong shoulders, arms, wrists and hands due to walking on them for almost 50 years.

Several years ago, I ended up bedridden for 5 weeks and they were worried about muscle atrophy in my arms, but I never lost the strength in my arms, it was my legs that lost all strength. I couldn't even take 10 steps when I started walking again because my legs were so weak. But I could still stand with my weight on my arms for 15+ minutes.

Your shoulders will probably gain a lot of muscle.

fittocycle wrote: »

Okay, I know this question is about as odd as it gets but here goes! I hope to have foot surgery mid January. The surgery will require me to be non weight bearing for approximately 2.5 months and then I graduate to some sort of walking cast. I'll be on crutches or a knee scooter for that time.
Any suggestions on what types of exercises I can do now to help strengthen the muscles for using crutches? Ab work? Shoulders? Arms?
Thanks for any suggestions. I appreciate it!

Not an odd question at all, in my view! As a result of an accident (after speed swimming!) I had five surgeries that ended with an ankle fusion and the further surgery to remove that hardware. In total, I was 49 weeks non load bearing on my right leg (over three years). More time than that added for walking boot casts, re-learning to walk twice, etc. You are really smart to be asking this now.

When I had the accident and the first surgery the following morning, I got great advice from a technician in the cast clinic before I was discharged from the hospital: focus on keeping as much muscle mass and flexibility in your upper leg. Don’t ignore your hip flexors.

I used forearm crutches and can’t recommend them highly enough. The underarm crutches were misery for me as I have severe rheumatoid arthritis and my hands can be in flare from little to no stress. I also had a knee scooter once the swelling was down enough to be able to keep my leg in the needed position.

I sought out some advice from a Physiotherapist and she referred me to exercises and I found some of them online and have copied and pasted from
https://www.sharecare.com/health/surgical-procedures/exercises-prior-to-foot-surgery
below (as these are very similar to what she assigned). My surgeon and physio were all amazed that I kept as much muscle mass as I was able to through all of this, and it sped up my healing tremendously each time (really good circulation from exercise and muscle mass).

Copied text
Since the ankle is part of the lower extremity's kinetic chain, working on the hip flexors, extensors, hamstrings and calf muscles is advisable to maintain conditioning of the lower extremity. Here are some exercises you can work on:

Hips (extensors, flexors, abductors): Leg lifts

Front: Start by lying on your back, bend one knee and keep foot against the table; straighten the leg of the side your exercising and keep the toes pointed toward the head; keep the leg straight and raise it so it is parallel with the bent knee; repeat for a set of 3; do 10 reps.
Sides: Turn your body to the side, the bottom leg is bent, the leg your exercising is straight; raise leg so it's parallel with the ground; keep toes pointed toward the head; do 3 sets of 10 reps; repeat on the other side.
Flip onto your belly: For ease, keep your knee bent; raise up toward the ceiling; repeat on the other leg; do 3 sets of 10 reps.

Knee (hamstrings): Heel slides

Sit on a flat surface with your leg out
Put a towel under your foot
Slide your foot toward your butt
Repeat on the other leg
Do 3 sets of 10 reps

Calves: Ankle pumps
This exercise is done to prevent clots from forming in the lower leg (depending on our surgery; you may be non-weight-bearing after surgery)

Try keeping the knee straight, pull the toes toward the head then point them away
Repeat at a moderate pace
Repeat on opposite side
Do 3 sets of 10 reps

Tricep: Push downs
(This exercise is to strengthen the triceps for the use of crutches if you are non-weight-bearing)

Lean against a bench or a table
Keep your elbows close to your body and push away and straighten the arms and squeeze the triceps and lower the body down toward the table
Do 3 sets of 10 reps

Wishing you well!

Most of all, keep looking forward, as there are some harder days in all of this.