In article , The Natural Philosopher
scribeth thus
ARWadsworth wrote:
Well someone else here must have used them and may be able to help.

I sprained my right foot/ankle 4 days ago and I am now using crutches to
help me get around.

How are you supposed to use them to get up and down the stairs?

You DON'T !....

Unless you want some more broken bits to add to those you've got!...


Cheers

Adam


Onto the step with both, and transfer weight forward. Not easy apparently.

OR use them to prop you up while you out the good leg on the next step.
then grab the handrail and use that to haul yourself up and transfer
weight onto the good leg and off the crutches. Then pull the crutches up
with the spare hand.


Alternatively, sleep downstairs for 6 weeks. Seriously. My MIL has
crippling arthritis. She takes 20 minutes to get upstairs every night
and she has two legs that work. Albeit total agony as they do.


Poor old soul, give her my best regards from a fellow "Arthur" suffer
tho not as bad that that yet;!..

Yes when I was laid up last year with a broken Femur that was the best
option, downstairs. After that wheelchair and then Zimmer frame and then
the crutches, 'tho I could NEVER get on with the ones under the armpits
the elbow ones were far more successful...

Getting up the stairs was a PITA literally!, and rather awkward took
quite some time it did and never felt that it was something I wanted to
do alone in the house either..


My two friends who are paraplegic..nothing works below the waist.. don't
even make the attempt. Bungalow/one floor flat living ONLY.

I've found it *possible* WITHOUT crutches when I have bashed a toe or
something to pull myself up on the handrail by hopping.

I hope you don't live alone..if you do, I think you may need some
friends in.

It depends how much pain you are in and what medical advice you have
received, but a sprain alone is not a reason NOT to use a leg. It hurts
like sin if you do, of course - you know that, but I think you may be
able to get enough use out of it to at least steady yourself without
putting serious weight on it.

I think the first thing is to understand the 'disabled mentality' which
is that some things you thought nothing of, are now serious challenges,
and need to be thought out in advance, planned, and executed carefully
and rather frustratingly slowly.

Thank the stars you are not paraplegic. Faced with crawling face down to
something that you can pull yourself up by, if you fall over and lose
the crutches.

And finally, deepest sympathy - being injured is crap. Just thank
someone somewhere that its not permanent. And shove a payment into 'help
for heroes' sometime, on the basis that you now know a little of what
they go thorough every waking minute of their lives.

Best luck, be patient and you will get there.



Second that..



--
Tony Sayer