#y'all istg I can't believe stairs took me out

[all-0f-the-above]

my foot is broken: what i've learned after a few days on crutches

shit I didn't know/even think about before edition

your armpits are NOT supposed to be resting on the crutches. you are supposed to use the handles, straighten your arms, and the top of the crutches are supposed to be about an inch or two lower than your armpits- the rubber is just there because otherwise it'd really fuck up your upper arms. crutches make your PALMS hurt, not your armpits.

default hospital aluminum crutches can fuck you up. they cracked my damn phone screen. they will crack your head open if you let them.

carrying/holding shit with crutches is HARD. like, near impossible if you're trying to hold a medium sized thing in your hand. if your friend is new to crutches and tries carrying something while clearly struggling, please help them.

also heavy backpacks are fucking nightmares in crutches. do they give you more momentum? yes. do they make your palms hurt even more because they're not supporting 120 pounds of person but now 15 more pounds of pure academic beef (and candy)? YES. also my boot is heavy so that's like an extra 6-7 pounds. that's 20 extra pounds, y'all.

being able to put some pressure on your foot is a GAME CHANGER. y'all if one of those feet is not touching the ground you're either swole or need to take breaks because damn I did that for a whole day and I was so goddamn tired by the end of it (remember, I'm also a regular rock climber- this was definitely more tiring than going to the gym, to say the least)

being injured has made me really appreciate how good my body is at compensating. can't use the foot? knee. can't get up to throw something away? it's a 3 pt shot. need to sit down but you're facing the wrong way, on one foot, and your crutches are across the room? balance and spin around! it's a flourish and also fun! every new thing I need to adjust to is just a quick problem solving task with multiple right answers.

yes, you can't do menial tasks like you usually do. yes, you'll be frustrated that you straight up can not do some things. but listen, able-bodied people whose injury isn't permanent, you're literally going to heal. you have the rest of your life to do everything like you did before. have fun with doing it differently for a few months.

this is by no means exhaustive (I actually have a helluva lot more written down) and definitely not reflective of people who live with mobility aids on the regular- just some things I hadn't realized as an able bodied person who's also never needed a proper mobility aid before