Disney with Knee Problems

[Trish0025]

I am 34 but I have a bad knee from a biking accident that I keep re-injuring. I can walk/stand for a few hours or so with no problems but then it gets stiff, creaky and incredibly painful. It also has a tendency to just "give out" on me. This past year I'd been strengthening it and walking more and was genuinely looking forward to all of the walking I'd be able to do at WDW. But I leave for my trip next week and my knee has recently started giving me trouble again. I have the added problem of having a 5 year-old for whom I was considering renting a stroller as she tends to tire out quickly. UGH. Now I'm concerned about how we are going to do all of our touring. This thread has been helpful for me so thanks! I was wondering if there are other young-ish, otherwise healthy people who rent wheelchairs/ECV's for their trips. Do I really need to rent something like that or should just do half-days? I'd hate to take equipment away from those with more serious disabilities. Honestly, I'm also worried about the looks I'll get when I get out of my wheelchair to walk around an attraction and that people will think I'm faking my injury. Is this a dumb concern? Also...how do I handle young children while nursing an injury at WDW?

 

[gap2368]

I am 34 but I have a bad knee from a biking accident that I keep re-injuring. I can walk/stand for a few hours or so with no problems but then it gets stiff, creaky and incredibly painful. It also has a tendency to just "give out" on me. This past year I'd been strengthening it and walking more and was genuinely looking forward to all of the walking I'd be able to do at WDW. But I leave for my trip next week and my knee has recently started giving me trouble again. I have the added problem of having a 5 year-old for whom I was considering renting a stroller as she tends to tire out quickly. UGH. Now I'm concerned about how we are going to do all of our touring. This thread has been helpful for me so thanks! I was wondering if there are other young-ish, otherwise healthy people who rent wheelchairs/ECV's for their trips. Do I really need to rent something like that or should just do half-days? I'd hate to take equipment away from those with more serious disabilities. Honestly, I'm also worried about the looks I'll get when I get out of my wheelchair to walk around an attraction and that people will think I'm faking my injury. Is this a dumb concern? Also...how do I handle young children while nursing an injury at WDW?

most people at Disney will be to into there own vacation to worry about you ( no office too you) and the very few if you do run into them well that is there problem not yours,

I am someone that looks much younger then I am when I was 20 the police were stoping every car and looking for someone/ something the office was convinced I had a fact DL and was convinced I was only 11 or 12. another time in my late 20 an FBI agent thought I was in middle school. I am telling you this because last year on one of my trips I hurt my foot when from I can walk to I can not walk one step in about 30-45 seconds so I ended up using a wheel chair for the rest of that day until the end of the following day I had nothing that showed I hurt my foot but I never had one bad look one bad commit every one was so nice too me that day.

I would rent some thing off site and maybe a wheel char since it sounds like you do not need it that much a wheel chair you can push when you do not need it ( and maybe let your DD sit in it if she needs too and you may not need a stroller if she can do this and sit I your lap when you need to sit) they are very hard to self push so if you do not have someone else with you willing too this may be a problem. an off site one will also give you a place to site when waiting for transportation at night or back at your hotel ( not sure where you are staying but some of the Disney hotels are a long walk from the buss stop to the room and I would think late at night after walking all day at the parks might be when you would need to sit the most.

about the looks you might get if you get out and walk around you would be surprised at how many people do this. I have a friend that can not walk around Disney all day but sitting in a ECV is bad for her too so what we do is in some lines I will sit in the ECV ( I have a vision problem and can not use it it crowded areas but in lines is fine I just leave more room between me and the guest in front of us) or she will leave it plugged somewhere and walk around the land for a bit. we have never had a dirty look at all ( and we go down quite a bit)

as fair as do you really need to rent something only you can decide this but I would have a few option like some off site venders or use Disney ( just know that Disney hotel only has one wheel chair for emergency use and you may have to wait a while since they have to have a CM with the wheel chair) so if you think you will need one an off site one maybe best for you.

a few other things this is your vacation and you deserve to be as pain free as you can be so if a mobility device will help you then use one. First aid is great if you are having some pain and resting it and ice will help ( you can do both there) they also have some OTC meds there and ace wraps ( they had wraps the last time I needed them 6-9 month ago)

I hope this helped

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

I am sorry to hear about your knee. I have seen some people with a knee walker. I don't know if that might help you.

 

[gap2368]

I am sorry to hear about your knee. I have seen some people with a knee walker. I don't know if that might help you.

knee walker are really for ankle injury not knee one ( as fair as I know)

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

knee walker are really for ankle injury not knee one ( as fair as I know)

Oh I see sorry my mistake.

 

[Twende]

My DH is in a similar situation but years older. He kept trying to walk the parks with us and sitting when he could find a place. But Disney seems to be determined to remove as many benches as they can so finding a place to sit is getting harder and harder. He even resorted to sitting on the ground a few times. Getting him back up was not fun!

So we invested in a EVC aka his scooter. So far he has only used it at Disney. He can walk but his knees are really bad and cause him so much pain. The scooter fits in the back end of our truck so we do not have to rely on Disney busses.

He is a different person when he can use the scooter. He is not Mr Grumpy, I am in pain, I need to rest guy any more. He uses it for long distances and then parks it to take short walks, check out stores or eat a meal. He usually parks it before going through a line for an attraction unless the line is really long, then he stays on the scooter.

I love having my happy husband back! I would suggest you let go of your pride and try a scooter for a day in the parks. You and your hubby most likely will be glad you did!

 

[FortForever]

My advice doesn't involve walking, but rather the popping of aleve and other NSAIDS - go easy on them and try to have the problem addressed surgically. If your knees need replaced, and your surgeon wants you to wait, find another surgeon.

After years of dealing with problem knees, I am having mine replaced this year. I'm 52 and both of my knees are bone on bone. The left one no longer even has a "knob" but more of what used to be round with a flattened/rough edged spot rubbing against the lower part. Because I have waited so long, two very negative things have impacted me FOR LIFE.

First, the bones in my lower legs are now bowed. I can't see this on the outside, but it's very clear on my x-rays. I was upset when the surgeon pointed it out to me. I have essentially disabled myself by waiting.

And the biggie - I destroyed my kidneys. They went down to functioning at a low stage 4 and I was told I would be on dialysis soon. After being sent to the nephrologist, I found out it was NSAIDS that did my kidneys in. When I first stopped taking them, my levels did raise up to Stage 2 kidney disease. Now, a few months later, I am down from 80% to 52% function and have had to stop taking other meds, as well as putting me in a catch 22 with my osteoporosis - without calcium my bones disintegrate, with it my kidneys lose function.

I can never again take any NSAID for any reason. Believe me, you don't want to live without those. It's awful.

Please, all of you who are taking high doses of ibuprofen, arthritis meds (anti-inflammatories,) Aleve, etc. ---- reconsider this strategy. You don't realize the damage you may be doing to your kidneys. I didn't think it could happen to me either. No history of kidney disease in my family. I don't have diabetes, or any other risk factors for kidney problems. It CAN happen. Please be careful with those meds.

 

[arminnie]

,Please, all of you who are taking high doses of ibuprofen, arthritis meds (anti-inflammatories,) Aleve, etc. ---- reconsider this strategy. You don't realize the damage you may be doing to your kidneys. I didn't think it could happen to me either. No history of kidney disease in my family. I don't have diabetes, or any other risk factors for kidney problems. It CAN happen. Please be careful with those meds.

I ditto this. Fortunately for me my issues were caught early so I do not have permanent kidney problems. I avoid NSAIDS now like the plague.

I do not have knee issues - but have what is known as "drop foot" - in my case I have a dead nerve in one leg that causes me to have difficulty moving that leg which results in extreme fatigue. I have no difficulty moving around my home or for short distances. But walking even a mile (much less the multiple miles at Disney) is a problem.

I have my own ECV now. I have not used it to date - but will at Disney. And will use it to go on garden tours, etc. I don't like that I need this accommodation as I always relied on the fact that I could walk 6-8 miles with no issue. But I am not willing to have to give up activities that requires a few miles of walking.

 

[mamabunny]

I am 34 but I have a bad knee from a biking accident that I keep re-injuring. I can walk/stand for a few hours or so with no problems but then it gets stiff, creaky and incredibly painful. It also has a tendency to just "give out" on me. This past year I'd been strengthening it and walking more and was genuinely looking forward to all of the walking I'd be able to do at WDW. But I leave for my trip next week and my knee has recently started giving me trouble again. I have the added problem of having a 5 year-old for whom I was considering renting a stroller as she tends to tire out quickly. UGH. Now I'm concerned about how we are going to do all of our touring. This thread has been helpful for me so thanks! I was wondering if there are other young-ish, otherwise healthy people who rent wheelchairs/ECV's for their trips. Do I really need to rent something like that or should just do half-days? I'd hate to take equipment away from those with more serious disabilities. Honestly, I'm also worried about the looks I'll get when I get out of my wheelchair to walk around an attraction and that people will think I'm faking my injury. Is this a dumb concern? Also...how do I handle young children while nursing an injury at WDW?

Just remember these two things:

First of all, you are going to use the wheelchair (or an ECV, or a Rollator, or whatever option you decide on) as a *tool*, not a toy. Just like people who need glasses to see, or hearing aids to hear, or a calculator to do complex math. All of those things are tools to assist the user, that's all.

Secondly, please remember that likelihood of you *ever* seeing any other Guest from WDW again is approximately the same as being struck by lightning AND winning the lottery in the same day. So... pretty tiny. Don't worry about the other Guests - they are all too busy posting on Facebook or Instagram, or trying to score a last minute ADR on the My Disney Experience app to pay much attention. I promise - you + a mobility device at WDW is a non-event.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Just remember these two things:

First of all, you are going to use the wheelchair (or an ECV, or a Rollator, or whatever option you decide on) as a *tool*, not a toy. Just like people who need glasses to see, or hearing aids to hear, or a calculator to do complex math. All of those things are tools to assist the user, that's all.

Secondly, please remember that likelihood of you *ever* seeing any other Guest from WDW again is approximately the same as being struck by lightning AND winning the lottery in the same day. So... pretty tiny. Don't worry about the other Guests - they are all too busy posting on Facebook or Instagram, or trying to score a last minute ADR on the My Disney Experience app to pay much attention. I promise - you + a mobility device at WDW is a non-event.

you would not want to be near me at a Park if I was without my glasses as I could not see well enough to walk thru crowd

 

[jo-jo]

My DH is in a similar situation but years older. He kept trying to walk the parks with us and sitting when he could find a place. But Disney seems to be determined to remove as many benches as they can so finding a place to sit is getting harder and harder. He even resorted to sitting on the ground a few times. Getting him back up was not fun!

So we invested in a EVC aka his scooter. So far he has only used it at Disney. He can walk but his knees are really bad and cause him so much pain. The scooter fits in the back end of our truck so we do not have to rely on Disney busses.

He is a different person when he can use the scooter. He is not Mr Grumpy, I am in pain, I need to rest guy any more. He uses it for long distances and then parks it to take short walks, check out stores or eat a meal. He usually parks it before going through a line for an attraction unless the line is really long, then he stays on the scooter.

I love having my happy husband back! I would suggest you let go of your pride and try a scooter for a day in the parks. You and your hubby most likely will be glad you did!

Last trip we got a wheelchair for DH. Both knee are bad. Before trip, not getting a wheelchair, not getting wheelchair. I think just walking the airport changed his mind. On hills he walked, (I mean hills not just a little incline) and of course from the resort to the parks. But mostly in the parks, he rode. Also it was great for not having to look for benches for him to rest or to look for a seat at shows. So glad he didn't try to tough it out.

 

[GenGen22]

I'm actually happy to read this post. I was really upset when I had to rent my first ECV. I have rented the ECV for my last two trips and will be doing it again. I am very prideful and have not told most people that I rented one nor will I let my DD20 take any pictures of me in it. I am 45 and have Osteoarthritis in both knees and the left knee is much worse than the right knee. I also have a torn cartridge in the left knee as well as bone spurs and a cyst. It's hard to accept that we need a little help now and then especially when you are so independent and used to walking around with no issues. I do walk when I am at home doing regular tasks like grocery shopping but the mall kills me so, I don't do much of that anymore. But Disney is a whole other animal. There is way too much walking and I don't want to be in that sort of pain so, I rented the ECV. I am grateful they have these for rent. I didn't notice anyone treating me any different except for to be nice to me. I do walk in stores from time to time as sometimes it's easier with the crowds but I do realize that I need to do it and I am not going to let my knee get in the way of me enjoying any Disney park. So, thanks for posting this as I don't feel so alone reading this post.