Son in walking boot and non weight bearing for our trip

[hslagle]

My 9 year old son was just diagnosed with an OCD ankle lesion and will be in a boot and non weight bearing for 6 plus weeks. Does anyone have any experience with this in the parks? I have read about wheelchair rentals and it appears he will be able to ride everything except for Hulk. My biggest concern is how he will be able to get on and off rides. Any tips or info is much appreciated!

 

[dcassetta]

If his doctor allows it, have him start practicing with crutches now. This can be a challenge to learn and can be tiring. A wheelchair will be essential and you might consider an off-site rental to make sure it is both child-sized and available for the whole trip including getting to and from the parks.

 

[Shellyred8]

My 9 year old son was just diagnosed with an OCD ankle lesion and will be in a boot and non weight bearing for 6 plus weeks. Does anyone have any experience with this in the parks? I have read about wheelchair rentals and it appears he will be able to ride everything except for Hulk. My biggest concern is how he will be able to get on and off rides. Any tips or info is much appreciated!

Regarding you concern about how he will be able to get on and off rides, you should plan to have a member of your party available to assist him. Maybe he holds on to your arm and hops on one leg. Or someone carries him from the point he has to leave the wheelchair behind.

 

[DisneyMom93]

Have you looked into a knee wheeler/scooter? It keeps the weight off the one foot.

 

[keishashadow]

Might want to post this on the disability board

Definitely run it past ur DS attending dr

They may suggest an OT/PT session to help
Him adapt to getting around

About same age my son wore a boot for almost 6 months due to FX in foot growth plate re football mishap

Was permitted limited weight bearing after a couple of months. Even tho he got pretty good zipping about with boot on (vs when I had to wear one for a FX lol), surgeon insisted we take a small, transport WC along.

Was really glad we did. He insisted he’d never use it, no way, no how! After a couple of miles, he was relieved to be able to use it for respite

 

[Deb1993]

Sorry to hear about your son's injury. We had similar situations a few separate times with ACL/meniscus tears and full leg braces. Since our trips were pretty soon after surgery, doc wasn't allowing them to walk miles so we rented scooters for them (DS was 11 and DD was 16) and they transferred to wheelchairs in queues. Experienced all rides and did not need to remove the braces. Only ride we did not go on was Forbidden Journey as doc said no hanging leg rides for at least one year. Maybe a scooter would work for you too?

 

[PrincessGidget]

My son broke his foot just before a wdw trip a few years ago. We bought him a knee scooter. It is the best for mobility. He was able to go right up to the loading zones then hop and/or hold onto a family member to get on and off rides. It was easy to get on and off the buses and boats too. And we bought him some battery operated lights that he decorated his scooter with. It made it easy to keep track of him after dark.

The knee scooter was money well spent as it was useful at school as well (crutches are the worst!).

Good luck!