How to Wear a Walking Boot & Use Crutches

Written by Natasha Puryear

27 July, 2017

Breaking a bone in your leg or foot can put you out of commission for weeks. Getting back on your feet is important and learning to walk with a walking boot and crutches is the first step to getting you up and moving. The hardest part of using a walking boot and crutches is the initial pain from putting weight on your broken bone. As your broken bone heals and you practice walking more, the pain will become manageable before dissipating altogether.

Wear your walking boot as directed by your doctor 1. Move your foot in a normal walking motion without putting weight on it at first while using crutches to support your full weight. You want to get used to the weight of the walking boot and moving your foot in a normal walking motion again.

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Put slight weight on the injured leg on which you are wearing your walking boot and use your crutches to support the rest of your weight. You can either apply weight at the heal or toe of the boot, depending on which results in less pain. Continue walking around like this until the pain begins to dissipate. But avoid developing a habit of using part of your foot and not the rest.

Begin putting your full weight on the walking boot and only use the crutches as a backup to keep your balance. This will be slightly painful but after a few days the pain should dissipate. Do not quit using your crutches before a doctor has given you permission.

Tips

Be sure to prop your broken leg up whenever possible since applying weight and using your leg will increase swelling. Also, the resultant decrease in blood flow to a body part elevated higher than your pumping heart will have an effect in pain subsiding. When you feel your well enough to walk with one crutch, it should actually be used with your uninjured foot so that most of the walking pressure is applied to that stride and not the one where your recovering foot is standing on its own.