23 Mar User Spotlight: Short-Term User, Lili

Shortly after Easter last year, Lili slipped and broke her ankle and foot in 3 places. The break resulted in a long day in the ER getting X-Rays, having her ankle repositioned and having her leg put in a cast, twice. After her hectic day in the ER, Lili went home with the recommendation that she had to have surgery to repair the extensive damage to her ankle and foot.

Lili did not go the usual route to obtain mobility aids to help her navigate life during what was guaranteed to be a long recovery. She didn’t take the standard underarm crutches patients are usually handed as they leave the ER. Because her daughter’s husband was the inventor of the M+D Crutch, she understood there were better options. Lili happened to be visiting her family in Kansas City when she broke her ankle and knew she really had no choice but to use the M+D Crutches. How could she not use the crutches her daughter and son in law had so painstakingly brought to reality over years of hard work?

Based on Lili’s age, upper body strength and lack of experience walking on crutches, Lili’s daughter, Liliana, was a bit nervous for her mom, and curious to see if her mom would successfully adapt to the M+D Crutch.

While Lili awaited surgery, she used a rollator to navigate her way through the house. She used a wheelchair to get through the airport on her way back home. And she relied on the M+D Crutches to leave the house, when needed. At the beginning, she used the crutches sparingly as she was nervous to be on her feet at all. But over time they became her go-to mobility aid.

After Lili left Kansas City, Liliana checked in with her mom daily, in part out of concern for her mom, but also because that’s just how good M+D’s customer service is! Lili was happy to pose for many pictures on her M+D Crutches and proudly talked about them to anyone who showed interest. But the honest truth is that it took her a while to truly become comfortable and adept at using her M+D Crutches. This was no surprise to Liliana, as she knew many of our customers needed a bit of time to get comfortable on the crutches. Lili was on crutches for several weeks after surgery, gradually increasing the weight she could put on her injured foot and ankle.

Adapting to her M+D Crutches took time. Early on she felt muscle soreness in her upper body, much like you do when starting a new exercise routine. She recognized it was a “good kind of pain”, but it was still a bit uncomfortable. She increased her use gradually, and the soreness lessened as her comfort level and confidence grew. Over time she ventured out more and took longer walks with less hesitation.

She confessed that the beginning was a bit tough, but that she was determined to give the M+D Crutches a real shot because it meant so much to Max and Liliana. She realized that if she wasn’t personally linked to the product, she might have missed out on the benefits it led to after the initial learning curve.

Lili admits that if she hadn’t known about the M+D Crutches she would have likely relied more on the rollator and used it mainly as a wheelchair, because there was no way she could’ve used under arm crutches. “They just hurt too much! After a few steps my hands and armpits really hurt”, she told us. Pushing through the initial phase of adaptation to the M+D Crutches allowed her a healthier recovery, one in which she took daily walks with comfort and confidence. Because of the M+D Crutches, she didn’t have to miss out on her normal life and could go places the rollator or a wheelchair could not.