Wednesday, April 28, 2004

Prescription for home after a sports injury

Top 10 tips for creating a ‘healthy home’ while recovering

Your doctor gave you a prescription for pain, a cast for your injury and crutches to get around town. But what can he or she “prescribe” for your home to make sure it provides a safe haven while you recover from your injury? Below, find tips for creating a “healthy home” while you’re on the mend.

If you’re out of commission for a while due to a sports injury, just remember that you’re not alone. Approximately 20 million people were hurt in 2002 while playing sports, according to a survey by American Sports Data, Inc. Basketball, running and soccer caused the greatest number of injuries, with football, softball, strength training, volleyball, martial arts and baseball also making the top ten. Of those injuries, 3.4 million required emergency room treatment.

Unfortunately, some of the most common sports injuries are those which greatly impair your ability to function independently. These include hamstring strains, rotator cuff injuries, tennis leg (or torn calf muscles), and ligament sprains, primarily of the ankle. Such ailments will greatly hinder your ability to freely and easily move around your house.

If you were lucky enough to escape the emergency room, you may still find yourself with limited mobility around the house. You may be treating the injury with ice and elevation, but when you can’t put any weight on that swollen knee or ankle, how do you negotiate the decent onto the couch or toilet seat? And, if you’re in a cast, your daily shower suddenly becomes an ordeal you might not be able manage by yourself.

To make sure your home is in tip-top shape while you recover, consider installing a few items and making some changes around your home that will ease your ability to function while recuperating.

• Your first priority: the bath. The room you should be most concerned about is the bath. It’s the one room that everyone needs to use, no matter how extensive your injuries. With a slippery floor, a low toilet seat, a bath tub wall to hurdle or a slick shower stall, the bathroom is the new bully in your home for your general well-being. Take a look around your bath and decide which tasks will present problems for you. Some of the first tips will make your time here a lot more comfortable.

• Grab bars. For starters, consider installing a grab bar in your shower. It can be used when entering and exiting the tub as well as during the shower. Look for one strong enough to withstand the stress that will be placed upon it; most grab bars can withstand up to 300 pounds of pressure. The bar should be long and wide enough to grasp easily, and have a surface that can withstand a moist environment. Generally, grab bars generally come in a number of sizes between 12 and 42 inches in length.

If you are concerned that a large, institutional-looking grab bar may distract from your bathroom’s décor, a new line of ADA-compliant decorative grab bars from Moen come in a variety of designs and finishes to fit any bath décor and resemble the style and look of towel bars, faucets and other accessories.

• Shower chairs. Another welcome addition to the bath for a wounded “weekend warrior” is a shower chair. Many injuries that affect the lower half of the body make standing rather difficult and, in wet conditions, sometimes impractical. Look for a chair with non-slip rubber feet to enhance stability and prevent nicks and scratches to the tub floor. One to look for is the Adjustable Tub and Shower Chair from Creative Specialties International’s Home Care line of bath safety items. The chair is ADA-compliant and features a safe, solid construction as well as an attractive, stylish design. Optional small or large basket accessories for toiletries and a hand-held shower holder attach to the chair to help prevent excessive bending and twisting, which can be unsafe.

• Hand-held showers. If you are seated while bathing, consider using a hand-held shower to more easily control the water flow. You won’t have to worry about reaching to the top of the shower to change the force or direction of the water.

• Transfer benches. For those who find stepping over a bath tub wall impossible or impractical, consider using a transfer bench. With two legs outside the tub and two legs inside, a transfer bench allows individuals to sit down outside of the tub and easily slide over, keeping all of their weight off their injury and allowing for a safe, fluid motion into the shower. A transfer bench is perfect for anyone who has a cast on their foot or leg.

• Dual Tub Grip. If you need more than a grab bar to get over the bathtub’s wall, there is a new item from the Home Care line that will take all your worries out of the bathroom’s greatest hurdle. The ADA-compliant Dual Tub Grip features a sturdy, no-wobble design and two different handle heights for grasping Ð so you can easily enter and exit the tub. Designed with textured grab areas shaped flat for better gripping, the Dual Tub Grip latches easily onto the tub wall with an innovative locking mechanism for easy installation and removal without using any difficult or twisting motion. It also features non-skid pads to prevent scratches.

• Elevated toilet seats. If your ankle, knee, or any other part of your leg is affected by injury, a life-saver in the bath could well be an elevated toilet seat. Standard toilet seats measure 14-15 inches off the floor, a low height for even a healthy individual to bend to. Elevated toilet seats hook or rest onto the bowl and raise the seat three to six inches. Ones which lock into place provide added security and optional handles make sitting down and standing up with an injury much easier.

• Bathroom finishing touches. Other items that will prove helpful in the bath for someone with limited reach include long-handled bath brushes and sponges as well as long-handled lotion applicators. These will be blessings for anyone with a rotator cuff injury or other injury to the arm which limits their range of motion. Also consider non-slip mats for both inside and outside of the tub to prevent a spill while your balance is still off-kilter.

• Secure railings and mats. Beyond the bathroom, make sure other areas of your home are conducive to your lessened-mobility state. Ensure that all railings and banisters on stairs are secure. If there is any wobble, enlist someone to tighten them soundly as you’ll now be utilizing them more often. Make sure that there are no loose rugs or mats anywhere in the home, nor loose wires; both can cause a slip for someone with crutches, a cane, or a cast.

• Vanquish clutter and keep rooms Well-lit. Eliminate clutter on the floor and keep all furniture with protruding legs out of the way. Lastly, make sure all rooms are well-lit so there are no dark areas to venture through with your injury.

Take it easy while you’re on the mend and return to normal activities only when you are fully healed to prevent re-injury. With a safe home, you should be able to rest assured that sitting back and allowing the healing process to occur is the only thing left to do.

For more information on Creative Specialties International’s Home Care line, write 25300 Al Moen Drive, North Olmsted, Ohio 44070-8022, call toll free (800) 882-0116, or visit www.moen.com. All items from the Home Care line of bath safety products are available nationwide at Lowe’s and at your local home health and medical supplier.

— ARA Content