Aircast Boot is So Uncomfortable
Many of us are familiar with that an air cast boot is used to heal a leg or foot injury. Because of all the changes you go through suddenly, discomfort from an air cast boot is sometimes to be expected. We will provide you with some basic strategies you can use right away to your immediate benefit and you will be able to take care of yourself properly while your bones and tissues are in the healing process.
In case it is your first experience and you don’t know much about what an air cast boot is? So here is a brief description; an air cast boot is a medical boot that is used to protect broken bones and other injuries of the foot, ankle, and lower leg. They help in the healing process and control further damage. Your doctor can suggest you use a boot for 1 to 6 weeks or the time duration will depend on how severe your injury is.
Aircast Boot is So Uncomfortable
Air Cast boot is Extremely Uncomfortable:
It’s essential to minimize movement as your foot, ankle, or leg bones heal because it will help generate new bone strands and improve bone fusion. Uncomfortable air cast boots can result from something simple as strapping them too tightly or even from improper stride. Moreover, walking boot discomfort should never be neglected because it could be an indication of something more serious like poor circulation, a blood clot, or other complications.
As part of a therapy plan, people who have tendon injuries, fractures, or diabetic foot ulcers commonly use CAM walking boots or air cast boots, which is a beneficial thing but it brings a certain level of discomfort to other parts of the body. The main cause of walking boot discomfort is the misalignment of the ankle, knees, hips, and lower back that results from the walking boot’s tendency to elevate one hip over the other due to the additional padding at the bottom intended to cushion shock impact from walking.
The procedure of holding the ankle region together and controlling ankle movement might have a severe effect on the rest of your body and cause some discomfort while using walking boots. Getting the benefits of the air cast boot also entails some discomfort, but there are ways to minimize this discomfort, which we will discuss here.
How to Avoid Air Cast Boot Discomfort?
There are a few tips and techniques that will help you to eliminate air cast boot discomfort. Let’s have a look:
- Fit air cast boot properly
- “Even-up” to Back, Knee, and Hip soreness
- Using Arch Support to Stabilize the Foot
- Care for the foot while wearing a walking boot.
- Keeping Your Foot Dry in a Waking Boot from outside moisture
- A Cane Can Help When Used Correctly
“Even-up” to Back, Knee, and Hip soreness:
This one solution will take care of most of your discomfort from wearing the walking boot. The majority of issues are brought on by the body's misalignment brought on by wearing the walking boot. You can simply fix this issue by putting on a shoe, trainer, heel lift, or even up device that will elevate your healthy leg until it is aligned with the injured leg, therefore rebalancing your hips. You can solve the majority of your problems by doing just one thing.
These items operate because when you wear a walking boot, one side of your body is lifted more than the other, which causes an imbalance in your gait (walking pattern). Because it is necessary to absorb the significant shock effect from each step you take while walking, the walking boots have a very high surface. The technology required to protect your foot from further injury stopped the air cast boot from being adjusted.
Even up using a wedge:
The adjustable heel lift or wedge is a short-term solution to the issue. The question is how does it work? Insert the wedge into the air cast boot (the boot that is on the injured foot) and keep inserting as much as you can until you achieve a suitable height. Make sure that both legs are at the same height it results in alignment of the ankle, knees, and hips.
If you don't already own a pair of shoes with a high suitable heel, buy an adjustable heel lift for your healthy leg which will balance both it and your damaged leg. A wonderful Warwick Enterprise Adjustable heel lift that would function flawlessly and fit any budget was something I discovered on Amazon. As many as you like may be added until the desired height is reached.
Even-up Using a Shoe Balancer:
Even up products can be used as an alternative to heel lifts. This device can be simply fixed to the bottom of your regular shoes to achieve the required height of air cast boot. The original EVENup shoe balancer is a good terrific option you can find it on Amazon. It is a good tool that will give you a more symmetrical gait and lower your risk of back, knee, and hip discomfort.
Using Arch Support to Stabilize the Foot:
To stabilize the foot and encourage speedy recovery of the wound as well as relief of foot pain, you can insert arch support inside your boot. What works best? An ideal option is a full-length semi-rigid orthotic adjustable arch support because it provides the optimum combination of cushion and structural support.
The sole of the air-cast boot is flat, providing little support for the instep. When you have to walk for a longer duration of time, it becomes a serious issue because it doesn’t follow the instep’s natural curvature. It’s a little bit unpleasant to put it simply on your feet, especially if you have flat feet. So, this problem’s solution will greatly help your feet during the healing process.
Your foot’s bones will realign to their normal curvature with the help of arch support, allowing your foot muscles to relax. Before you put on the boot, inserting an arch support will stabilize the foot, encourage a quick recovery from the injury, minimize foot pain, and overall make your foot feel comfortable.
Care for the foot while wearing a walking boot:
Skin becomes quite sensitive while wearing air-cast boots and your delicate skin will be protected if you wear socks. Many people commonly asked Which socks are suitable to wear under walking boots? Since your skin is a sensitive organ, you must use a high-quality sock linker inside the walking boot to protect it.
The Aircast Sock Liner is a good option for an air-cast walker brace because it covers your skin while you are wearing a boot, keeps moisture off your skin, and extends up to your knee. Most people buy the Air Sock liner, Aircast AirSelect Walker Brace, and the EVENup together even though they normally go together. All of them are available for purchase on Amazon.com.
Keeping Your Foot Dry in a Waking Boot from outside moisture:
You must make an extra effort to keep your foot dry, but what if moisture enters the air-cast boot? The risk of discomfort is significantly increased when water develops within the boot because it promotes skin irritation and itching. Wearing the Vive Leg Cast Cover could be a great option if you are required to keep your boot on at every time, even while taking a shower. What if it rains outside? You can put on the My Recovers Brace Cover, a walking boot weather cover that will keep your feet dry in any condition.
A Cane Can Help When Used Correctly:
Who wants to be using a cane as they walk down the road? Most of the time, nobody, not even myself. Many people do not want to hear that you need a cane or a crutch. A crutch or cane may be able to relieve some of the pressure on your feet if wearing an elevated shoe on the undamaged foot isn't enough to stop your limp.
Remember that if you do use walking help, you should hold it in the opposite hand of the injured leg. The amount of force you apply to the damaged side can be reduced by 30 to 40% by holding a cane in the opposite hand. This will significantly decrease your pain level and make it much simpler for you to move around comfortably.
A cane can be quite beneficial during the first week or so after an injury, while it is the most uncomfortable. Use the opposite hand from your injured one to hold the cane or walking stick and walk using the damaged foot while simultaneously advancing with your cane.
Final Thought:
Most of the people who have to wear a walking boot are not comfortable with it. They usually have to face some difficult challenges. It demonstrates courage and strength to overcome challenges. Many of the techniques that can be utilized to avoid air cast boot discomfort are shared with you to help you turn the pain into relaxation with these shoes. I hope you may have found value in this article and if you did, do share it with others.
