1 reply to this topic

[Billyt]

Hi y'all

Didn't see section specifically for bones & fractures, so popping this in here, seemed the most appropriate.

I've just had surgery for fractured lower femur/thigh - pin & plate etc and the doc is concerned about the torsion placed on my knee & thigh area during transfers and my very bad bone density (bones can break around pins) and wants to immobilize my leg in a straight brace for a few weeks till it can heal a bit.

I initially had a smaller fracture that did not require surgery & had the leg secured in a knee rom brace, but to cut a long story short, things got worse over a few weeks,mostly due to my stupidity, till there was a complete break.

I need to add a straight leg support to my wheelchair (Invacare A4 -can't seem to find anythng suitable) or hire an old clunker chair with support for the leg in straight brace.

It appears I will need assistance with transfers which inhibits my mobility greatly (yeah i can hear all you quads telling me suffer & suck it up)

Just seeing if others have gone thru same or have some advice on how to handle this (I'm sure gonna miss driving my car etc).

I have a few ideas to handle the simpler transfers which I might get away with doing independantly, will add when I get my gear sorted & tried it out.

Thanks, Bill

[Millard]

Hi Bill,

When I broke my femur, I didn't have the restrictions you have. When I broke my left kneecap, then the leg had to be kept straight. I borrowed a three wheeled scooter to go to work. I don't live far from work so this was ideal. I used a bungee cord attached to the handle bars to hold my leg up when moving. When at my desk, I had a box to put my foot on and keep the leg straight. I had no problem at all using this setup. BTW, I am a quad but the scooter seat will easily turn 90º for easy transfer.

I hope this helps.