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Hello! My lady has been bed/recliner bound since November. She has 2 pressure sores on her right heel and ankle, from a hospital stay in November. They are healing very well and I think she is about to be able to be weight bearing, as of today. We are waiting on that call. She had a King size bed that we had to get rid of and replace with her hospital bed. The king mattress was too heavy for me to move by myself so I cut it up so I could get it out of here. I kept the 5inch foam topper and have used it to make several different “props” for her leg, to float her heel. A lot of trial and error but we finally made one that has been super useful. She was having trouble keeping it on the first ones that I made for just one foot so I got the long rectangle piece and cut out the shape of both of her legs and it keeps her heels about 2” off of the bed. And her foot doesn’t roll off of it. It’s been great! My problem now is that she says the back of her knees hurts. She asked if there was a way that I could put something under her knees and let her feet hang down. I still have a big piece of foam that I can use. I am just at a loss for how to get her knees up and her feet down while her heel still floats. Anyone crafty got any ideas? Thank you.

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The last 2 times we went to see my MIL in LTC she was wearing these special booties because she was having pain in her heels. I don't know what brand they were but this is what they looked like:

https://homecare.stryker.com/sage-prevalon-heel-protector-1-7305?sku=7305-E&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw17qvBhBrEiwA1rU9w-SqBLsSEx_xn3OOQdurnTNgWL5ENMzn3KXWFVJW0IE_waRhgKqQqRoCN8sQAvD_BwE
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So - you mission isn't to completely remove pressure from the back of her legs because that would be impossible, the mission is to remove PROLONGED pressure from any one body area. When we are physically capable we constantly make minor adjustments to our position without consciously being aware of doing it, even when we are asleep. It's when we are physically compromised or somehow restrained and can't make those adjustments that pressure injury develops, so the key isn't more padding it's more movement, every 2 to 3 hours is recommended.
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I imagine she's just uncomfortable because her knees are absolutely straight and she isn't able to change position at all when her heels are raised so I don't think you necessarily need to bend the knees very much, even a slim pillow below the knees should make a difference. I'd personally try to come up with ways to vary her positions constantly throughout the day as much as is possible, including periodically turning her to the side, because I'd be worried that curing the heels may just lead to increased risk for her buttocks and shoulders.
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AlvaDeer Mar 11, 2024
So right, cwillie. She needs the changes in position for circulation, and prevention of blood clots. I think the DIY innovations are admirable tries, but should be passed by the doc. Hopefully a home RN is visiting here.
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