How do you learn to walk again after a foot injury?

[DizzyDesii]

You may have twisted an ankle, broke a toe, etc. But how long were you down for and how did you learn to walk again? I’ve hopped for the past 8 days after having that pencil go deep into the lower side of my foot. Its like i hardly remember how to walk.
I try to press my foot flat to the floor but the pressure against the puncture wound just hurts so much that i tense up, hunch over and walk with a limp. Its a real strain on my back after the operation. And whenever I wasn't hopping around, i’d walk with good posture but on my tippy toes or the heel of my foot. This wouldve been a great time to join ballet again again or to own a pair of heelys so i could skate around lol.
I just fear the injury may have really messed up my walk overall. At one point, i rode around for a day in a wheelchair. Another day i used a knee scooter. For a few days, I cried because i could somewhat relate to those who are walk-impaired. I often hold onto furniture to get around and even turned a shower rod into a cane. I’m quite clumsy without it and have almost bust my ass several times since i have no floor grip. I wonder do i need physical therapy?
#FeelFreeToList

Updates

+1 y

I read that pain shouldn't be an issue after 2 days unless there's still graphite (not really lead) left in the foot. I really hope thats not the case. In films, i find it dumb when people pull out knives after being stabbed. In the moment, i wasn't thinking and pulled out the pencil. The lead did break off bt when i tried searched through the wound, i didn't see lead, just the gray mark from it. So I don't know if debris is why im still in pain. The wound has closed bt I see a doc next wk

Updates

+1 y

I tried to grocery shop today and couldnt walk on it for more than 10 mins. I had to be pushed around in the grocery cart like a kid 🤣 people were looking at us crazy but my sis pushed me in the basket the whole time haha. I looked so silly like
media0.giphy.com/media/3ohs7KVTdc544HKKFq/200.gif
i.chzbgr.com/.../pic-of-a-guy-pushing-his-girlfriend-around-in-a-shopping-cart-at-walmart
external-preview.redd.it/...yZ6yOT2wSMRqZ2nLCU.jpg

[Anonymous]

Yeah puncture wounds on the feet are terrible. You don’t need physical therapy but you should really be doing everything possible that you can to get that wound to heal. Keep the wound clean and use so over the counter antibiotic ointment to help keep it from getting infected.

Puncture wounds take a while to heal. Unfortunately. It may help to really pad the wound area since it’s so tender. Get some clean cotton gauze and fold it over itself a few times and tape it over the wound. You’ll have a cotton bump on the bottom of your foot, but you’ll have a little more cushion and hopefully it helps make walking a little less painful.

The main thing to focus on is getting that wound healed. The tissue that was injured needs to fill back in the cavity that was created from the pencil. This can take some time, especially depending on the depth of the wound.

When you aren’t walking try to elevate your legs. Put them up on an ottoman or pillow. It’ll take pressure off your injured foot since it won’t be on the floor and will help with healing.

If you’re having to hold onto things just to get around, you may want to consider a cane temporarily. I know that sounds and looks bad, but you already said you had to use a wheelchair at one point. You don’t want to be walking and feel a sharp pain and get off balance and fall.

Sorry for all you’re going through. I wish I could be more helpful. I work in healthcare.

[DizzyDesii]

Yea the foot doesn look bad at all. I've been using ointments at night and soaking it in epsom salt in the day. I did this all for 7 days and the redness went away by day 3. But the pain is still there when attempting to walk on it. Whats a cotton bump? and its more along the lower side of the foot rather than the exact floor bottom. Hard to explain. The puncture hole closed by day 3 and the redness went away that day as well. But today is like day 9 and still hurts to walk on it. I keep my foot elevated on the arm of the couch when im not walking to the bathroom or kitchen. But tomorrow is grocery shopping day and i really want to be able to walk. And i’ve used a shower rod as a cane for the last 5 days and nearly busted my ass lol. I tried my grandparents walker and it hurt to hunch over after my spinal operation so i try to avoid that. Thank you so much for the advice thus far

[hafinjun]

I'd suggest that gauze be the non stick kind

[Waldoe]

I suffered a fall onto cement, it literally "shattered" my calcaneus in my right foot... Surgery involved 3 long screws from the heel towards my toes, to pull the fragments together, followed by 2 months in a cast, and keeping it elevated. After all that the procedure Failed... there is no short version... sorry, it seems that my endocrine system detected all that calcium in my system (shattered bone) and responded by "stripping" my entire body of calcium... causing Brittle bone syndrome, I was declared "Permanently Disabled" I had a horrible Limp... again... sorry... but I was determined to fix it... every day I walk, concentrating on NOT limping... I have had 3 dogs so far and many years of walking the Dog... 72, still disabled, barely noticeable limp... I think.

[DizzyDesii]

Wow this is heartbreaking to hear! Im glad you're recovering

[Waldoe]

Never Give Up and Never Give In... that includes "pain"

[ChiTown33]

Still working on that. I broke a metatarsal in my left foot 2 years. Ago. It hurt but I didn't think I'd broke it because I could walk on it with bearable pain. Fast forward a yr. Later I break 3 metatarsal in the same foot. That was painful to the point I couldn't walk on it. So this time I did go to the doctor and they told me I broke 3 metatarsal and asked me "did you know you had a previous break"? I said I do now. They referred me to podiatry who determined I didn't need surgery (which now I question. It was at work that I broke it. So I'm suspicious that they just didn't want to pay for it). So I got a boot and after about 4 or 5 weeks it was x-rayed and the doctor said it was 85% healed and a couple bones were a little crooked but it should be fine.
So I went back to work a couple days later and broke my ankle on the other foot the first day back. Remember I said the other foot was 85% healed? This is important because I had to hop around on that foot as my right ankle was broken and needed surgery.
Fast forward to a year later my right ankle is healed i guess but the top of my foot, and toes are numb and I think since I can't fully feel the floor when I walk it affects my balance. While I think the hopping has affected my left foot as the joint where my big toe connects to the foot has migrated a little outward (basically it looks like I have a bunion). And the index toe is twisted and doesn't fully bend and the middle toe joint feels like I'm stepping on a pebble everytime I step.
I'm thankful that it's manageable if I'm wearing shoes. But If I'm not I can barely walk. And I'm thinking about going back to the doctor to see if they can do anything for me. I'm not sure if it was the long layoff while healing or if it's the way I'm walking but my back has bothered me for the better part of the last year (I've heard you can develop back problems from feet problems).
So yeah, if you figure out how to walk again, you tell me how. 🤣
Up till 2 years. Ago I'd never broken a bone in my life. The last 2 years. Has made me feel like I've aged suddenly.

[DizzyDesii]

Ong this is so scary and i set up an appt with podiatry too

[ChiTown33]

Well as someone told me after surgery "This too shall pass". I wouldn't worry too much if it's not showing signs of infection.

[exitseven]

When I was in 5th grade I stepped on a sea shell at the beach. and got a nasty gash on my heel. It was the first weekend of summer vacation and I remember it sort of messed up the whole summer. It took forever to heal up enough sot hat I could run again. I remember my mother changing the dressing all the time and soaking it in Epsom salt. Little by little it got better and I have not thought about it for many years until you just made me think of it.
You will get better but it will just take some time. Keep it clean and watch out for infections.

[DizzyDesii]

Yea i soaked it in epsom salt for 7 days but im out of salt now. Todays the 9th day. Its odd that after soaking in epsom salt, my foot feels heavier and in more pain. But outside of that, i put ointment and a bandaid.

[exitseven]

RE:Updste- you might need the doc to check the wound to see it there is leftover graphite in it. . damn, you gotta be careful.

[DizzyDesii]

I pray it isn't because the wound closed up on day 3. Its day 10 now

[exitseven]

wait until you see the doc.

[VarddaanKaushikk]

I met with an accident back in April of 2019 . I was riding my bike when a car just decided to stop in the middle of the road. It was an expressway so nobody was driving below 70kmph and due to that driver's interesting action , I had to apply breaks and I was thrown off my bike and I landed quite horribly , slid on the road for approximately 20-30 metres and I bruised my foot , right where the thumb meets the rest of the foot. It was a deep wound and I had to go the hospital every 3rd Day for a month for the treatment and care and I had to walk by using the other side of that foot. It took time to get back to normal , but now I can walk like normal again

[DizzyDesii]

Yes I've been walking on the side of my foot and im sure thats not a good thing

[VarddaanKaushikk]

It hurts the ankle. My ankle was sore from that way of walking.

[Screenwriter]

I broke my ankle years ago and had serious surgery. My walk took a year to heal. And that;s exactly how long it took. Healed perfectly and the screws made my ankle a better ankle than the non broken one.

It will take a long time. NOthing to do but do your physical therapy and exercise and look forward to the day when it works again. It wil.

[DizzyDesii]

But i dont even know if i need PT

[Screenwriter]

Your doctor should recommend it if you're having too much trouble walking. Talk to her or him.

[Switch91]

It SUCKS!
Both my shoulders are gone. Rotater cuffs just ruined. I have to work with them though (construction) so just having to suck it up.
I still go the gym but can't press any shoulders. Sometimes stops me doing chest too.
Knees are a bit fucked too.

Hope you can sort yours.

[DizzyDesii]

Wow will yours ever heal 🥺

[matchrestore]

My wife had a bad sprain of her ankle last week after slipping on some black ice, and she's been forced to wear a boot brace. It took her a bit to get used to it but she's far more mobile on day 5 than day 1. As un-cool as it may seem, a cane can really help. We borrowed an extra one from a family member.

[DizzyDesii]

Whats black ice

[matchrestore]

It's ice on pavement that is so clear you can't really even see it's there. We live in North Dakota and we're very used to walking on I've, but normally you can see it and adjust for it. With black ice you can't see it so it causes more problems.

[jamesgoldman]

I've broken my toe before

I was in a wheelchair for a week, on crutches for a few more (they were more of a hindrance than a help)

The doctor said I should take 8 weeks off school, I was back once I got out of the chair

N. b. I've dislocated my ankles so often it's a case I an take a few stuttersteps and carry on as normal

[DizzyDesii]

Holy smokes thats a lot

[Anpu23]

You have to let it heal before you can start walking again. I've had some pretty bad sprains where I was on crutches and also was stabbed once in the leg, and pulled a tendon running.

If it still hurts maybe it'll be better to let it heal. But learning to walk again isn't that difficult. Its more about rebuilding muscle.

[DizzyDesii]

It said it should only take 2-3 days to heal. The puncture wound closed on day 3 and the redness went away that day too. But its day 9 and still painful to try to walk on

[silkjames]

I broke my ankle from skate boarding thats what happens when launching yourself off a half pipe 10 feet off the ground I did land that shit then felt the worse pain ever once my ankle blow up in to a basketball I knew I broke it lol but I did a lot of physical therapy I was break dancing in no time lol🤣🤣🤣

[DizzyDesii]

Professional physical therapy?

[silkjames]

Yes I paid a lot my health insurance is really good too but I had to pay half of it so I could walk faster because I needed to go back too work! but regular physical therapy will work too just learn what they teach u and do at home it will heal back stronger either way if it's a broken bone. if it's a fracture that's different always never push yourself to hard if it's a fracture it takes way longer too heal.

[DizzyDesii]

Its a puncture wound so I don't know if thats a fracture

[silkjames]

No a fracture is when your bone is cracked but u got stabbed on or under your foot or something did u step on a nail what's wrong Hun?

[DizzyDesii]

Pencil went deep into the side of my foot. It was tilted up on the floor

[douride2]

I was run down by a car. Broke to many bones to even list here. I wasn't supposed to live. The docs told me I would never walk again. It was a very long road to recovery. I was determined to not spend the rest of my life in a wheel chair or with braces on my legs & using crutches to get around. To this day I still walk with a limp close to 30 years later.

[DizzyDesii]

Wow thats really sad that it causes you to still limp but im so happy you're alive and recovering

[kellytheman]

I broke my ankle once walking my dog and was down for a couple months. It was kinda depressing because I couldn't work and I had to cash in my vacation hours to stay afloat financially. Also I was limited during sex and my girlfriend at the time didn't like that. I also use a knee scooter because I hate using crutches. I never had a hard time learning to walk again but if I mistep and twist then it will hurt rest of the day.

[DizzyDesii]

Man this sounds painful

[kellytheman]

Yeah I think i made it worse cause I did the typical guy thing and not go to the hospital and thought I just walk it off at work sleep it off. I thought it was just a sprain not broken. Also I have a good tolerance to pain so It wasn't as painful to me than other people.

[DizzyDesii]

Yea i didn't go to the doc yet either and thought i could walk off the puncture wound pain but now im gonna go to the doc Wednesday since its almost been two weeks

[Mark987]

I broke my ankle drunk outside a club.. and got rushed to the hospital and had surgery the next day. They told me it would be 8 weeks before I could remove my cast and then wear a boot. The whole process took 8 weeks.. when they removed the boot.. my foot had no muscle at all it looked like an arm. I used a cane to walk for two weeks.. and then it slowly came back. Till this day though it's never been the same

[DizzyDesii]

Omg thats so scary

[Mark987]

ya it happens...

[Valso]

When the pain stops, I just do. I've had a twisted ankle and the pain of that is nothing compared to the highest degree of burn on the foot. It took 4 years to fully heal the skin wound during which time the pain was constant, so normal walking was really hard and another almost 2 years to fully heal the flesh under the skin. These almost 2 years were not a problem, despite the constant itch under the skin that no scratching could remove.

[DizzyDesii]

Holy smokes how did you burn it

[Valso]

Poured boiling water on my feet (by accident). The left foot survived unharmed but the other took the full force of the hot water.

[DizzyDesii]

Omg im so sorry you experienced that

[Valso]

When I was 8 I got stung by a hornet (I think) and my right foot (the same that got burned years later) became 4 sizes bigger. There was almost no pain after being stung but that injury took the longest time for my foot to return to normal size - 8-9 years or so, during which time I had to buy two pairs of shoes - one normal size and one larger, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to go outside.

I've got quite a history of feet injuries but the burn was the worst of all.

[DizzyDesii]

Ima need us to keep shoes on lol

[dustybiker]

Ouch!
I fractured my toe joint. Took three months to heal. I learned a new way to walk to heal, then had to learn a new way to walk with a stiff/damaged joint. It still bothers me from time to time. You adjust.

[DizzyDesii]

Dang

[talka20]

No its tge pain not letting u walk otherwise its fine u won't forget it... and u feel like that cuz now for days u have not walked the way u always do... and dont hurry this tyoe of stuff at all Desi... that way itd heal fast

[DizzyDesii]

But i have to go grocery shopping tomorrow. I need to be able to walk

[talka20]

Yes i understand that... but either take breaks... or use walker if u have cuz doin all on one foot won't be good for yoir back either... and if nothin then maybe delay grocery shopping a day or two

[DizzyDesii]

I did the walker but it hurt my back and i just had that operation. I've already delayed grocery shoppin for a week. I can't again

[talka20]

Nobody else available to do for u?

[DizzyDesii]

They dont get the right stuff. Theyre cheapos

[talka20]

Maybe pay few bucks to someone n get it done if possible?

[talka20]

Oh i see... but ummm... maybeee umm... maybe order very main stuff online and rest later when u can walk?

[DizzyDesii]

Ordering groceries online? Lmao they’d spoil

[talka20]

Bruh but u gotta do something at least yk

[Levin]

8 days is nothing. People break their ankle and have to keep weight off for 6 weeks. Just let it heal and chill for a bit.

[DizzyDesii]

Wow 6 weeks just for a pencil stab? I mean the redness went away day 3 and the wound closed that day too. Online said everything shouldve been good after 2 days but i hope it won't take 6 weeks to walk on

[Levin]

Not saying it'll take 6 weeks. Just saying you need to take a chill pill. ain't gonna heal overnight. You feelin' me.

[DizzyDesii]

I was chill but i just assume i could walk in 9 days since most stuff said after 2 days. But i guess not every body works the same in healing

[midnightmoon05]

3 months out of work.
they said I may need another surgery later in my years.
I have 12 screws in my foot/ankle. I walk fine.

[DizzyDesii]

Holy smokes what did you do to your foot that cause all of that

[midnightmoon05]

Met someone from gag … was hanging with him… jumped off a railing for fun… landed on rocks … 6 years later…we are married.

[DizzyDesii]

Aww a happy and sad story

[midnightmoon05]

Why sad?

[DizzyDesii]

Because you landed on rocks and hurt yourself

[midnightmoon05]

Oh … hehehe… I don’t think about it being sad… more stupid…
Thank you though

[JosyJosy]

Patience. With that I mean to allow your body to heal and not try to walk as soon as possible again, You can try the next day, but if it sucks, just let it rest for a couple of days

[DizzyDesii]

Its been 9 days tho lol

[melanieeeB]

I never had that and I'm no medical expert at all, but girl I guess you need to rest your feet a little longer and wait until it's health 🙄🙏🏼

[DizzyDesii]

Okay thank you

[Yucy_Gluttony]

Go doctor asap so they can give you the best advice ever!

Now Go! I'll hold them off!

[DizzyDesii]

Lol my doc was out for the week so i have to wait til next week

[Yucy_Gluttony]

I always wanted to use the Now go line but with a week this backfired real quick. I say you be extra careful, no painkillers or anything of the sort, rest until you see the doctor so things can't potentially worsen