What Would You Do? Aircast/Broken Ankle Question

[cns01120]

I broke my ankle/foot a few weeks ago and I have a removable cast that cannot be taken on and off for another few weeks. Technically I am not supposed to walk without my cast, but I will be right at the point (to the day) where I can just start to walk very small distances to get on rides or go through the haunted houses. I am going to Universal Studios during horror nights. Unfortunately most of the thrill rides don't allow casts so I will have to take it off for those. I would like to keep it on for anything that doesn't prohibit a cast. Especially in the houses because I am worried about other people stepping on me while they are panicking.

Standing or walking for long amounts of time without a cast is difficult. Should I rent a wheelchair, spring for an express pass, or are guest assistant passes suitable for this injury? I will be going with one other person. I don't want to get a GAP if I will constantly have to be separated from that person. Do I need to bring my x-ray or a letter from the hospital to get one?

Thank you!

 

[SueM in MN]

I broke my ankle/foot a few weeks ago and I have a removable cast that cannot be taken on and off for another few weeks. Technically I am not supposed to walk without my cast, but I will be right at the point (to the day) where I can just start to walk very small distances to get on rides or go through the haunted houses. I am going to Universal Studios during horror nights. Unfortunately most of the thrill rides don't allow casts so I will have to take it off for those. I would like to keep it on for anything that doesn't prohibit a cast. Especially in the houses because I am worried about other people stepping on me while they are panicking.

You need to talk to your doctor about whether you can go on the thrill rides at all. I'm quite certain the doctor would say that you should not go on, even with the air cast.
You don't want to jeopardize breaking the foot/ankle again just to go on a thrill ride. If you are worried about other people stepping on you, you should also be worried about jostling during the ride.

Standing or walking for long amounts of time without a cast is difficult. Should I rent a wheelchair, spring for an express pass, or are guest assistant passes suitable for this injury? I will be going with one other person. I don't want to get a GAP if I will constantly have to be separated from that person. Do I need to bring my x-ray or a letter from the hospital to get one?

Thank you!

You really will need to rent a wheelchair. An express pass would shorten the amount of time you wait, but not the distance walked (so an express pass would still be helpful for shortening the wait).
A GAP would not really help in your situation because you would still be walking the distance and it would not necessarily be short distances that you wrote you will be allowed to walk.
You do not need a letter or any proof to rent a wheelchair. Most lines at Universal are quite wheelchair accessible, so you would be able to get around without problem. In most cases, you would be in the regular lines, so won't have to worry about your friend not being able to be with you.

Even though you wrote you will be able to be able to walk for short distances, I suggest you stay in the wheelchair as much as possible and limit your walking to the shortest distances you can.
It may not seem like much, but all the little distances to transfer from the wheelchair to a ride car and back will add up to a fair amount by the end of a day.
There is more information in the disABILITIES FAQs thread near the top of this board (or follow the link in my signature). One of the posts in that thread is about Universal and includes a link to their Rider's Guide.

 

[tinkerbelletreasure]

Ditto what the PP wrote! I broke my ankle 2 years ago and I still have limitations because of it. We went to Disney in March (18 moths post break) and while I did walk the whole time, We were only in the parks about 4-5 hours a day and I was in a alot of pain the rest of the night having to soak and ice my leg.
Anytime you break a joint it is going to take a lot longer to heal than a normal long bone break.
Plan being fluid with your plans. Even with a wheelchair, you may find that you tire a lot easier. Even a walking boot takes a huge toll on your energy because it is heavy and make you uneven in heigth.
Hope you heal quickly! Make sur eyou do all the recommended PT!

 

[peemagg]

Also remember that your foot is likely to swell more than you think down in that Florida weather.

 

[RumpleMom]

I am thinking that when the cast comes off you will be doing physical therapy.

IMHO you don't just take off the cast and are good to go. Your therapist will be the one to tell you what you can and cannot do. Listen to this person, as walking well for the rest of your life is more important than going on thrill rides this trip.

 

[cns01120]

Thanks for the advice. I have been walking on the air cast boot nearly continuously for 9-12 hours per day since the day I broke it due to necessity. Walking with the boot is not going to be a problem. My issue will be walking without the boot which is what I am supposed to be able to do right around the time of my trip. I can walk around my house now without the cast, but long distances are impossible. I will have a strong ankle brace, but I will have to take the cast off to go on most of the rides at Universal. I can wear the cast in the houses. I think it would be very unlikely that my foot would re-break from a ride. The main thing I will need to be careful about is having the right shoes which will allow me to feel how I am placing my foot while walking since I have limited feeling/mobility and I don't want to twist and break it again.

The doctor I saw was not advising me well. He basically sent me for an x-ray, confirmed the fracture by phone late the next evening and called in an air cast to a pharmacy. He was extremely vague when I asked him questions as well. I doubt he would advise against thrill rides since he sent me out with no support for a broken bone for over 48 hours. Not even a pair of crutches. I have a transverse fracture to the base of the fifth metatarsal. It wasn't displaced so I'm assuming it will heal well. A friend of mine in the medical field is also advising me. My friend's advice lines up with most of the information I have read about the fracture online.

So there is no way to cut down on wait times with an assistance pass? I guess I will probably rent a wheelchair and purchase a fastpass then because I don't know how my foot will hold up standing and walking for long lengths of time without the air cast.

 

[SueM in MN]

Thanks for the further explanation. I did not understand that you were walking with the cast. It sounded from your first post like you were not supposed to be walking at all, cast or no cast.

So there is no way to cut down on wait times with an assistance pass? I guess I will probably rent a wheelchair and purchase a fastpass then because I don't know how my foot will hold up standing and walking for long lengths of time without the air cast.

Assistance Passes are not meant to shorten wait times, just to give assistance that is necessary.
For both WDW and Universal, if someone feels they can't walk or stand long enough to wait and experience the attraction, the advice given will be to use a wheelchair or ECV.
I don't have measurements of any of the lines at Universal, but I know people have measured the length of the line at Soarin' at Epcot and it is over 1/4 mile from line entrance to boarding and the same distance from the unload area until you actually are out of the attraction. Many WDW attractions have similar distances and I expect Universal to have similar distances.