Have you ever heard someone say that everything hurts after spending time in a walking boot? For those folks who have had the pleasure of spending time in a walking boot they know it is not a magic fix. Yes the boot was necessary to provide pressure relief and allow healing. But that may have resulted in your opposite knee, hip, or back hurting.

The thing is its design does not match a typical shoe. It is set up to allow your boot to roll forward with reduced pressure. In order for this to happen you end up standing higher on the boot side. This creates a different strain on the rest of the joints of the body. You can attempt to balance height difference by wearing a hiking boot or other higher shoe. However, even the best of shoes still leaves a height difference.

One potential solution to his problem is to use a cane opposite the boot side to reduce some stress. The other less appealing solution is to reduce the amount of time standing/walking while in the boot. This may be possible for some but not others. Thus, after the 4 to 6 or even 8 weeks spent in a boot, it is common for people to complain about hurting elsewhere.

This leads to the necessity to deal with all the sore body parts on the back end. It is rather common but unfortunately most people are not told about the issue. It would be great if the prescribing provider would let people know this but rarely does that happen. Thus it comes as a shock to them after hobbling around for a few weeks. But the good news is that in most cases a little guided mobility work will resolve the issue(s).

If you experience this or know someone who is struggling it is time to seek out help. A muscle and joint specialist will be able to assess the situation and provide the necessary active exercise program to begin resolving the concerns. Hopefully this was already recommended, especially to rehabilitate the reason the person was in the boot to begin with. But if not, you have the ability to go directly to this muscle and joint specialist for help.

Don’t know where to begin. Click HERE to request a phone call to learn the next best steps for you.