Foot Help

[Bethis26fan]

A little back story in June I fell and sprained my ankel. :walk: I rolled it out where most people roll it in. In doing this it stretched the tendon in my foot and the dr told me it would be a long healing process up to 6 months or more before it doesn't hurt at all. I'm worried that a week of walking around the world is going to kill me. Right now it's doing ok for the most part some nights it's sore. My big test will be next week on our all day shopping trip but for now I'm worried.

:help: so for the question do you have any tips for me to try and keep it from hurting. I feel like I may be missing something I could do. :cart:I bought extra insoles for my shoes tonight and I bought arch support socks. I plan on having a foot bath tub @ the room so at night I can soak it and I'll have my brace if it gets really bad. As well as icy hot Is there anything else I should plan ahead to bring with me? Thanks for the help.

[kakn7294]

Maybe consider some type of ankle support such as those elastic ace bandage type or even just wrap it with regular ace bandages if you happen to be like me and those pre-made supports don't fit you. You already have a brace so that's good. Try to plan attractions to give yourself a break and get off of your feet for a while. Good suppportive shoes will be great too - it sounds like you are planning for that. Good luck and have a great trip!

[kathiep]

I feel for you, Bethis26fan!

I did the same thing about 2 weeks ago. My ankle rolled so far out, I'm pretty sure my foot was completely folded under.

Now, of course, I was too stubborn to go to a doctor. But that's another story.

I am just now beginning to walk "normally". But forget about moving my foot other than to pick it up and put it down.

My thoughts will be with you!!

[Donald A]

Make sure you keep your achilles tendon stretched out. If the achilles tendon (the biggest and strongest in the body) is tight, you turn your foot "out" when you walk. This puts extra stress on the area you injured and counters the arch supports that you appropriately have obtained.

[pugslave]

I work for an orthopaedic surgeon, and my advise to you is to make an appointment with your orthopaedist, or if you haven't seen one yet, do that ASAP. Tell them exactly where you are going and they should be able to offer you many ideas. They also can send you to physical therapy to for a stretching and strengthening program than you can do while on vacation. They also can offer you custom braces that will fit you perfectly to help you get around. Best of luck to you!!

[DisneyDudet]

I did the same thing back in 2002. I had to take it slow for a while at Disney, but we had two weeks there, so that helped a little. A lot of exercising and stretching will help. Also, elevate it as often as you can, to reduce swelling and tightness, which can also cause pain.

Also, with your foot soak, I recommend Epsom Salt to be added to that. Its an amazing creation! I can heal wounds and relax muscles too!

I would take meds like Advil with you to the parks, in case the pain gets too bad. Wearing support is needed, not just for the pain, but since the important tissues in the ankle have been torn and thus are weakened, it is imperative to have extra support to reduce the risk of reinjury. I found that it took a long time for my ankle to look normal in regards to swelling, and the range of motion took months to get back.

I hope you go speak to a dr about this trip, so that he/she can give you more specific advice.

[vamaggie]

I would also recommend seeing an ortho before you go if you can. They can let you know what to do to prepare and also what to use to wrap it. (sometimes wraping may be bad if it restricts it too much) Also ask them about taking advil or aleve as a proactive measure to "keep ahead of the pain". Take it easy and have a terrific trip.

[Bethis26fan]

Thanks everyone!



kathiep - I know what you mean I didn't want to go to the dr but where I work I'm up and downstairs all day long. I did put if off some though I fell on a friday morning (before my brothers wedding) and didn't go to Monday. I didn't want to go to the dr and I didn't want to mess up my brothers wedding. lol

[faline]

I find that walking around Disney World, I can walk 8 or more miles per day. The first couple of trips I did after knee surgery, I would get pretty tired rather quickly and found I needed to return to my room mid-day to put my feet up and rest. You might consider this.

Also, if you feel that you won't be able to tolerate the amount of walking required at Disney World, you could consider renting a scooter for the duration of your stay.

Scooter Rental (http://www.buenavistascooters.com/)

[Bethis26fan]

I find that walking around Disney World, I can walk 8 or more miles per day. The first couple of trips I did after knee surgery, I would get pretty tired rather quickly and found I needed to return to my room mid-day to put my feet up and rest. You might consider this.

Also, if you feel that you won't be able to tolerate the amount of walking required at Disney World, you could consider renting a scooter for the duration of your stay.

Scooter Rental (http://www.buenavistascooters.com/)


My mom suggested that as well. I just know I'm hard headed and won't stop when I need to. But I did just find out today we are going to go back in April so atleast. I'll have that if I don't get it done I can do it then.

So far I haven't had a lot of problems out of it, just some days. Like I said this coming Saturday we are going on a girls shopping day all day long and I think that will give me a feel for what I'm up against. I would just like to be prepared to deal with it when I'm there if I have problems so I don't have to spend a lot of money of stuff from the resort gift shop.

Thanks again everyone.

[MsMin]

I have a lot of trouble w/ high arches and planter fasciistis. I wore my supports last dec. w/ a good pair of tennis shoes and had no problem. This year I tried my crocs b/c the weather was so much warmer and I was getting blisters w/ my tennis shoes. What I found helped me. I didn't find I got the support from the crocs as the tennis shoe even though my doc recommended it. I find that breaks really helped like stopping for lunch or going to a show etc. Some time where I was off my feet for 30 min or more.
This past trip we were not on the ddp so we didn't have the TS as before b/c of the F&W but I didn't sit as often or as long. I have shortened achillies and also have trouble w/ shin splints. That was acting up too especially b/c I tend to walk fast normally.
Check w/ your doctor but if you think you can make 3 or 4 hours than taking breaks may help you. Last Dec. traveling w/ my parents w/ 2 scooters I had some experience moving them etc. for them and I wasn't ready to depend on one myself. I'm not saying that they are bad but I think many ppl who use them would rather be able to walk if they could.( many of us w/ injuries are very hard headed:blush:) If you don't want to use one maybe you could plan to use one on alternate days for a rest. Best of luck. :walk:

[Here we go again...]

You have received lots of good advice. I agree with the previous posters.
I would wear the brace from the beginning of your trip. I also rolled my ankle in years ago. I was so hard headed that I did not listen to my doctor and played soccer... needless to say I ended up in a cast. Not because I broke it, but because I stretched the ligiments and tendons so bad. I was lucky they healed properly.
When you do a lot of walking your ankle will get weak and twist again easy. The brace will keep it from being reinjured.

[Taja]

A little back story in June I fell and sprained my ankel. :walk: I rolled it out where most people roll it in. In doing this it stretched the tendon in my foot and the dr told me it would be a long healing process up to 6 months or more before it doesn't hurt at all. I'm worried that a week of walking around the world is going to kill me. Right now it's doing ok for the most part some nights it's sore. My big test will be next week on our all day shopping trip but for now I'm worried.

:help: so for the question do you have any tips for me to try and keep it from hurting. I feel like I may be missing something I could do. :cart:I bought extra insoles for my shoes tonight and I bought arch support socks. I plan on having a foot bath tub @ the room so at night I can soak it and I'll have my brace if it gets really bad. As well as icy hot Is there anything else I should plan ahead to bring with me? Thanks for the help.

Based on personal experience and stupidity: Rent an ECV off site and use it as needed!

Seriously, I hobbled through 3 WDW visits with foot/ankle/knee injuries during a two-year period. Since the terrain at WDW is uneven, I constantly strained and compounded my problems and delayed healing. *sigh*

Talk to your specialist and see what he/she says. You might be lucky and be able to use a brace plus special shoe inserts, as well as applications of heat or ice.. They didn't work for me, as I was dealing with four simultaneous injuries.

As I said, personal stupidity... *LOL*

[ldn324]

I'm a plantar fasciitis sufferer who also has to deal with pain at WDW with all of the extensive walking.

I've found that I really need to pace myself - not go running right in the parks - but walk gently and take frequent breaks. Definitely invest in a good pair of shoes with lots of support. Ibuprofren at the beginning of the day to stay ahead of the pain helps quite a bit. And at the end of the day, foot massage (even if it's just self-massage it helps) and ice work wonders for me. I like to keep a bottle of water frozen, then roll it with my foot. You get exercise and inflammation reduction at the same time. Also, pack some ziplock bags with you and use them as ice packs in your room after a long day of walking.

Another thing DH taught me is something called "Tai Chi walking". If you Google it you'll get a better explanation but basically it's learning how to walk very gently. It causes far less trauma to your foot than normal walking. It's a little awkward at first but I noticed a huge improvement in my pain level after I learned how to do it.

Good luck and I hope you don't have foot pain at WDW. Trust me, I know how miserable it can make you feel.