On April 10, 2000 I had both knees replaced. I hear they have less drastic procedures now than I endured. I used a walker for about three weeks.
LEARNING TO LOVE YOUR WALKER: A Sequence of Experiences
LEVEL ONE: Walker Awareness
You’ve seen walkers in various settings: at Kroger, on a cruise ship or at Tunica on your way to the 5:00 P.M. seafood buffet. You wonder why the walkers don’t get along faster and let you proceed. The walkers take up too much space. They are just a general nuisance. You never considered that a walker would play any part in your life.
LEVEL TWO: Walker Denial
You have visited with your doctor and scheduled your orthopedic surgery, and you appear at the pre-operative orientation session. You find yourself seated in a room with a team of Physical Therapists and other orthopedically oriented hospital personnel. They are all discussing the exercises and assistive devices that you will need after your surgery: They show you how to use all the equipment along with how to use YOUR walker!
You haven’t considered needing a walker much less a “sock tube,” or a pajama-grabber, or a shower bench. You are listening to all the specialists, and you still hesitate to commit to the idea of needing these devices. (That’s why it’s a good idea to bring the person who will be assisting you during your recovery to the training session!) You are in Walker Denial.
LEVEL THREE: The First Walker Encounter
You will not need your walker until the second day after your surgery. (You read that last sentence and you understand what it says, but you still do not get it!) It says that you will be using your walker on the second or third day! Yes, you - up - standing up - on your feet using your walker!
The second day after surgery: LEVEL FOUR
You are lying very still trying to get reasonably comfortable when the Physical Therapists (PT’s) arrive at the door. One of them has a long belt over his shoulder, and your walker at the ready! You are about to get up! You think, But...but...but...I’m not ready for this. The PT’s have their own agenda. The belt goes around your chest, and the next thing you know you are UP - facing the business-end of your walker.
With the help of the PT’s you will get up and take a few steps accompanied by much grunting, gurning, groaning and heavy breathing. (Gurning is the making of grotesque facial expressions.) During the second session you will walk a little farther. You will be drained and disappointed each time, but the second session is a little easier than the first. In two more days you will double your distance and speed: Three minutes to get to the hallway, five minutes of rest, and four minutes getting back to the bed.
LEVEL 4.5: Walker Mastery (The Walker Becomes Your Friend
You “enjoy” the rehabilitation sessions and after a few days you are on your way home. It is a surprise that your house is not walker friendly. You have steps at every entry door, there are narrow hallways and tight turns, but with time and use you overcome all these obstacles. You realize that you could not get around without your walker, your new best friend.
You will have reached LEVEL FOUR with your walker when you can put more weight on your legs and less on the walker. You still need it for balance, but you are getting around well.
LEVEL FIVE: Full Use of Your Walker
You are using the walker less and less and only for insurance inside the house. Pretty soon you feel spry enough to go get the mail. You are at the mailbox and you realize that your pajamas have no pockets, so you stuff the mail into the waistband of your PJs. Alas, the mail applies more stress than your waistband can handle. Just imagine yourself standing at the mailbox with your PJs around your ankles, and you with nothing to hide behind except your N.E.S. bill, and your walker!
NEVER CARRY ANYTHING IN YOUR HAND WHILE YOU ARE USING YOUR WALKER. Most ladies will want to hang a decorated basket on their walkers: Most men just hang an old grocery bag on the front. Of course there is the household handyman who insists on duct taping a milk crate to his walker.
LEVEL SIX: Your Walker’s Other Functions
Before you know it, you will be forsaking your walker and venturing forth with nothing but a walking stick. Chances are, you are still using your shower bench. In that case the walker can become your new towel rack. As Martha Stewart ages you can bet that she will be including a walker decorating section on her morning program. Perhaps she will share the pattern for a Walker Cozy with her viewers
Best Wishes for your speedy and complete recovery.
Lewis Butler
Assistive Technology Consultant
Tennessee Department of Education
Bilateral Knee Replacement on April 10, 2000
The small print: You will need a modern walker that can be easily adjusted: NOT your Grandma’s with the rusted adjusting buttons. You will also need the shower bench. Don’t skimp here, because the bathroom will become a dangerous place, and you will be using it after you have retired your walker. If you will be alone for extended periods, you will need the sock tube. (Your feet will get cold! Colder than you can imagine.)
Long and short legged jersey workout pants with elastic waistbands will be helpful. They are easier to get on by yourself than PJs.
Practice your exercises before the surgery. Go way beyond the minimum. The stronger you can make your connective structures the easier your rehabilitation will be. After surgery you must continue the exercise routine long after you think you need to. Otherwise you will become stiff. Isn’t that what we are trying to get rid of?
1 comment:
Walker Awareness is a great term
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