Prepping For Mobility When Injured

It only takes one bad moment. A few days ago, ice took Salty down and left him with a broken ankle. The emergency room gave us a boot and a prescription for a walker, crutches and a knee scooter. Without the boot, turning the simple fracture into a compound one would be much more likely. Without crutches, walker or scooter, his mobility is nil. How would you cope if this sort of accident happened when there was no emergency room you could get to?

You don’t want mobility for the injured part

Immediate first aid for most bone or joint injuries is immobilizing the injured part. SAM splints in the first aid kit, plus an elastic wrap to attach it, are great first aid kit additions for this job. For longer term use, the modern adjustable boots and braces do a great job. The goal is to allow the patient good mobility, while preventing misalignment or unwanted motion in the injury. 

Here’s Salty’s broken ankle, in its very useful stabilizing boot. These boots greatly extend what injuries qualify as ‘walkable’.

Stop a moment; think about what you’ve got on hand and the various body parts that might be so injured. Do you have what you’d need to immobilize the injury? Are the materials on hand and the skills in your head? If not, Now’s a good time to fix that.

You do want mobility for the whole person

I’m not talking bugging out on crutches. That’s not really an option. I’m talking about enough mobility to be able to get around in your own space, manage personal care and hygiene, get yourself food and drink, access your preps, and exit the building if it catches on fire.

So what will that take? Depends on the injury obviously. Suppose it’s a leg or foot injury. Can you get around on crutches? If so, do you have a pair? Salty prefers a walker when one leg’s out of commission; it’s more stable. Many people prefer the knee scooters; but clearly those aren’t good for any kind of rough ground (even a lawn). Once you’re one-legged is a tough time to find out what works for you.

These walkers aren’t that expensive (especially the Thrift Shop Specials) and when you need them, you Really need them.

Depending on what your space is like, a wheelchair might be worth having. Salty uses one to get around at work while he’s one-legged (this is not his first leg injury); it keeps him much more functional.

Mobility preps can often be found for cheap secondhand

Boots and braces, crutches and chairs – once people recover, they’re often ready to donate their mobility aids or sell them cheap. We haunt a lot of thrift stores (looking for old camera bargains) and often see equipment that costs hundreds of dollars new selling for $5.

Mobility aids are often sold secondhand for cheap once their first owner heals. These knee scooters allow longer distance travel, as long as roads are good.

Sizing can be important

The whole point of a mobility prep like a boot or brace is to stabilize a joint or bone. That only works if the fit is right. Trying it on will tell you pretty quick.

Also, there are ‘normal’ and ‘big person‘ versions of equipment. The ‘normal’ weight capacity is often about 225-250 lbs…and a lot of adults are bigger than that these days. A walker that collapses under your weight is decidedly not a mobility *aid*, so pay attention.

House access

If you were on crutches or a walker, could you get in and out of your house? Are their steps? Good handrails? Wide enough doors and no impossible corners? Now’s the time to make adjustments. Good solid handrails make an amazing difference.

If you’ve never had a leg injury, or helped someone with one, you’d be amazed at how big a problem even a single step can be, particularly without solid handrails.

Mobility preps work for all sizes of disasters

We preppers think a lot about the big disasters that affect many people, and for good reason: That’s when we expect it to be hardest to get outside help. We could stop at the medical supply store on the way home from the emergency room and stock up.

Honestly though, it was a near thing. Salty’s a big man and the hospital couldn’t supply what he needed (items with 225-250 pound weight limits may work but don’t inspired confidence). In our small town, we were down to the last available provider before we found what we needed. What if he’d slipped on the ice during a big ice storm and couldn’t get to professional care for a few days? We’d still have needed the boot and walker to make it through those days.

Disasters most often come one person, one family at a time. When this sort of drama comes to visit, hunting down the mobility aids is not a hassle you need. Why prep for something that has a low probability but overlook the situations that hit people like you every day?

Also, I checked the fine print on the contract. Major disasters did *not* guarantee to not happen when it’s personally inconvenient because of personal circumstance; and personal circumstance did *not* guarantee not to go south just because there’s a major disaster in progress.

Mobility aids going in Salty and Spice’s preps

We’re keeping the high weight capacity walkers and chairs. We’ve got SAM splints and wraps that will do for most joints, but we’ll keep the boot that allows walking on an injured ankle and get one in my size too. We had an additional hand rail installed to make the stairs much safer. We’ve got a knee stabilizer in Salty Size; we’ll get one in Spice Size too (hello thrift shops).