Hi There- Hope you had a good week as you continue to recover. I went into a boot walker with an inflatable bladder at 5 1/2 weeks. It goes up to just below the knee. I find the boot much more comfortable than the walking cast although it is still not a totally natural gait. Currently I'm at 6 1/2 weeks, started PT this past week and am working into weaning myself out of the boot and into regular shoes 100% of the time. I have been walking without crutches since in the walking cast so moving into walking with the boot was a smooth transition. I am able to walk around at home in regular shoes (no boot) but I'm still wearing the boot when I go out. As far as the other foot, I wore a running shoe when in the walking cast and the boot because it is a shoe that is a little higher. The problem with the walking cast and the boot is they bring your foot up higher and if the shoe on the other foot is not high then your back hurts. The lower back pain was something I experienced. I actually am putting a heel cup in the shoe of the foot opposite the boot. You need to choose shoes carefully. I know different doctors have different time frames for WB so I can only tell you my experiences. My doctor got me going with weight bearing quite quickly which has worked for me but might not for everyone. He would like to see totally weaning off the boot by the end of 2 weeks of theraphy. Hope this helps....
