I will be having ankle replacement surgery in October. Someone mentioned to me about waterproof cast. I'm wondering if I can swim laps with it. I usually swim 4000 a day. I don't expect that but would like to get back in the wasterASAP.
When I was talking with the nurse on the phone about my post surgery timeline, she mentioned the cast. I told her to put a note in my file for the doctor. I googled it and found this.
DRYPro Waterproof Cast Covers for Casts/Bandages and Wounds
Originally I thought that I was going to be in a cast for 4 weeks, but yesterday I was told that I would be in a soft cast for a week, then 3 weeks in a hard cast twice for a total of 6 weeks then a boot for a few more weeks. That's 3 more weeks that I was expecting. That is why I'm freaking out.
I will be having ankle replacement surgery in October. Someone mentioned to me about waterproof cast. I'm wondering if I can swim laps with it. I usually swim 4000 a day. I don't expect that but would like to get back in the wasterASAP.
How long are you going to be in a cast? What does your doctor say about swimming before the cast comes off? Even with a pull buoy, I question the value of swimming with your ankle locked at a 90* angle, with the weight of the cast out back.
Even if the doctor said it was OK, I think I'd be inclined to wait until the cast was off to get back in the pool. To stay somewhat in shape, I'd hit the weight room instead, and do a high rep, moderate resistance upper body workout.
I know swimming would be tough, I was thinking running for 30 minutes would be okay if I got in. I will have 2 3 week cast on so if I could get in the 2nd 3 weeks I would feel better.
I had two broken wrists ~11ish years ago (not at the same time, thankfully), and both casts were made to be "waterproof". The inner layer was made up of this stuff, and the outer layer was typical hard cast material. That same website has (I believe) the same cover you saw.
Anyway, I just dove right in, no covering or whatever, and then stood under the hair dryers for like 10 minutes after a workout to try to get some dry air inside the cast. I never found (or really attempted to find, for that matter) a better way to actually get it dry inside, as this thing was usually damp for several hours after a swim. Each cast was about 12 weeks of this, and my skin underneath was definitely not right for months.
For your case with an ankle, I definitely agree with Gary about swimming with this. Not only is it going to feel like a lead weight, but remember, you also have walls you'll be tempted to push off of. A few years after the wrists, I had a knee ligament issue. Despite trying to push 1-legged, I'd still find leg #2 trying to get in on the action, and even a little pressure aggravated the injury, so I just had to stay away for a while.
A break is NOT a bad thing, and as Gary suggested, it could be a great excuse to incorporate some dryland into your routine. I bet you can get someone to screw a pedal clip onto the bottom of your cast to do some in-home spinning.
