Pool slides in an orthopedic boot

[slappy magoo]

Hey there hi there ho there...
A companion to my "tron lightcycle in a boot" thread. Slapperina's still recovering from foot surgery, will be in a boot. When she goes swimming at home, she takes it off, so I'm sure she can do that at disney pools. But the slides! Didn't even think about the slides!
We could in theory wrap it in a bag. She's now supposed to be putting some weight on it anyway. But I don't know if it's allowed. Another option is she keeps boot off, crutches up with me following and, instead of riding after her I just walk back down with crutches? But I don't know if that's allowed either. Anyone have experience?

 

[DisneyFanatic12]

Hey there hi there ho there...
A companion to my "tron lightcycle in a boot" thread. Slapperina's still recovering from foot surgery, will be in a boot. When she goes swimming at home, she takes it off, so I'm sure she can do that at disney pools. But the slides! Didn't even think about the slides!
We could in theory wrap it in a bag. She's now supposed to be putting some weight on it anyway. But I don't know if it's allowed. Another option is she keeps boot off, crutches up with me following and, instead of riding after her I just walk back down with crutches? But I don't know if that's allowed either. Anyone have experience?

You can bring anything you want up the slide, so crutches are fine. Can’t wear water shoes on the resort slides, but you can probably wear something small. If you put your opposite ankle against the slide (if you can cross your legs) the injured foot would never touch the slide anyways.

And you can always try the boot with a bag or something else on the foot and see if the guard says anything. If they do you can just find an alternative (such as no boot or a smaller brace or something similar if possible).

If you see anyone with black shorts on or around the pool deck, that’ll be a Coordinator. They can help you find a solution and are very accommodating. Coordinator shorts also have “Coordinator” embroidered on one leg of the shorts, but it’s easier just to look for black shorts and a white shirt. Anyways, if for some reason that resort doesn’t allow something to be worn, they can usually find an easy alternative for you to use.


I obviously don’t know about how swelled it is or how much movement can be made and such, but you could get a sturdy but more low profile boot or brace. Definitely not a replacement for the boot, but it might provide some peace of mind if you are concerned about the foot moving. All in all, she can use her hands to slow herself down on the slide if she picks up too much speed and can put her good foot under her other one so it stays stationary and off the slide. The slides don’t go very fast, so the turns shouldn’t be an issue (they’re often plenty wide too). Not a great comparison, but I’ve traveled with people in my party with broken bones in their feet and one with a swollen ankle and they were fine on the slides. We just had them use crutches or some other “assistive device” up, and one of us non-sliders would carry it back down.



Sorry for the long response, but I hope this covers the general question!

 

[Club Cooloholic]

Hey there hi there ho there...
A companion to my "tron lightcycle in a boot" thread. Slapperina's still recovering from foot surgery, will be in a boot. When she goes swimming at home, she takes it off, so I'm sure she can do that at disney pools. But the slides! Didn't even think about the slides!
We could in theory wrap it in a bag. She's now supposed to be putting some weight on it anyway. But I don't know if it's allowed. Another option is she keeps boot off, crutches up with me following and, instead of riding after her I just walk back down with crutches? But I don't know if that's allowed either. Anyone have experience?

I gotta be honest slaps...this might be one to skip. She is recovering and you just never know how the foot will place when she comes off that slide. I don't think it's worth risking. Tell her to chill this trip and just do some float around.

 

[Bullseye1967]

I gotta be honest slaps...this might be one to skip. She is recovering and you just never know foot will place when she comes off that slide. I don't think it's worth risking. Tell her to chill this trip and just do some float around.

I was thinking the same thing. Unless this is a bucket list thing, the slides will be there next time.

 

[Doberge]

I don't know the right answer but I suspect the lifeguards may be strange about wearing something over the foot. I've seen kids told to not wear dive style masks down slides which makes me think they enforce some pretty draconian rules. But I agree with sentiment to try to skip slides altogether.

 

[DisneyFanatic12]

I don't know the right answer but I suspect the lifeguards may be strange about wearing something over the foot. I've seen kids told to not wear dive style masks down slides which makes me think they enforce some pretty draconian rules. But I agree with sentiment to try to skip slides altogether.

Yes, scuba goggles are not allowed at any Disney Resort pools nor at the water parks. Universal is often the same way, though goggles are less used there and enforcement varies. Scuba goggles (goggles with a nose cover) are considered dangerous because there is one less opening for a child to breathe through, and if someone needed air it decreases how much air can be taken in with each breath. Overall, not good for a pool when there are “safer” alternatives. Disney wants the lowest possibility of an issue happening possible which is why they have some rules for safety that might seem over the top, but they make sense if you think about them from a business perspective.

 

[Ayla]

Hey there hi there ho there...
A companion to my "tron lightcycle in a boot" thread. Slapperina's still recovering from foot surgery, will be in a boot. When she goes swimming at home, she takes it off, so I'm sure she can do that at disney pools. But the slides! Didn't even think about the slides!
We could in theory wrap it in a bag. She's now supposed to be putting some weight on it anyway. But I don't know if it's allowed. Another option is she keeps boot off, crutches up with me following and, instead of riding after her I just walk back down with crutches? But I don't know if that's allowed either. Anyone have experience?

What's her doctor say?

 

[The Mom]

IMO, going down a slide with or without the boot would be a no. There is a big difference between easing into a pool to swim, versus going down a slide with water pressure against the foot. I doubt that it would be possible to keep the boot dry, and I don't think wearing it down the slide in the first place is a good idea.

As someone noted, why take the chance of re-injury or delaying the healing process? She will have other chances to use the slide in the future.

 

[JIMINYCR]

I'd join with others saying dont try it at all. Going down a water slide will give person a variety of experiences. No two slides down are similar in how your body will go from side to side or the speed taken. Coming off the end no matter how cautious you are theres no guarantee the foot wont be bumped as you land. Then you have other swimmers in the water who arent always careful to be away from the bottom of the slide. Collisions do sometimes occur. Dont put yourself back by reinjuring yourself, youll regret the foolishness of doing it before youre fully healed.

 

[MaryJaneP]

As previously stated, what does the OP's orthopedic surgeon recommend? Seems like a skip while recuperating unless you really want to risk extending recovery or re-injuring.

 

[slappy magoo]

Thanks all for the advice and concern and well wishes. Should probably add some key context...

Slapperina's foot injury is not a recent break or fracture, though even her surgeon thought that it was up until the point he operated on her! She experienced a freak injury in 2019...and by "freak" I mean she broke a freak bone in her foot THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN THERE! A bone we might not have ever even known about had she not had a weird slip that snapped it off. Anyway, it was operated on at the time, she had physical therapy, got better, then at the beginning of last school year, she started experiencing more pain. Took WAY longer to get operated on, but doctors kept thinking it was more about just getting bigger, faster, so she most of her freshman year in a boot or corrective shoes, on crutches, etc. Finally got operated on again beginning of summer, doctor thought he must have missed a piece of bone. Turns out the prior surgical wound healed wrong, was aggravating a tendon, made it feel like a break.

So surgery was about 2 months ago. The wound itself has healed. But now comes rehab, she hasn't used this foot properly in a year. She's still wearing the boot because she's not quite ready to put full weight on it, yet. The doctor is certain this surgery did the trick, but admittedly we won't know for sure until post-rehab.

I understand the concern about her injuring it again, but when it comes to pools, or slides, the real concern is about the discomfort she'd experience trying to get up the steps than a potential injury going down the slide. I'm a real helicopter parent most of the time, sorry to admit, but the odds of her injuring herself again, based on what was done and why...those odds are no higher than they'd be if she was just crutching around through life, as long as she takes the same precautions she always does crutching around through life

We will talk to lifeguards or a coordinator when the time comes, but my guess is if she even wants to try the slide at all (and she might not want to, just out of teenage angst of being noticed for something she doesn't want to be noticed for), it'll have to be boot off, crutches "on." And one of us with her will forgo their turn down the slide and walk back with the crutches. But if it turns out this is something the cast members have experienced and they have a better solution we'll be all ears. No pun intended. But if they also say it's too much of a liability to let her slide down at all, we won't make a stink about it either.

 

[MaryJaneP]

Captain Bonespur, meet Princess Extra Footbone.