My walking boot hurts my incision, what alternative is there?

Hi there. I had exactly the same issue with my aircast and my incisions (though mine was two weeks after a cast, so I can't imagine how much yours hurt!) -- the things I found that really helped were 1) buying a "sockette" from amazon - it's a roll of cast sock and it's a super thin cotton that makes a ton of difference and 2) doubling up a gauze pad and placing it over my incisions and securing with medical tape. That ended up being enough padding the boot didn't push so much on my incisions and let them heal enough that now I can wear it without anything but my cast sock. 

It does get better, I promise! 

I had no surgical incision wounds to deal with in my stint wearing boot, but I know it is a real problem with some people because this question keeps popping up on forum.

They do make some special air boot socks that are especially thick and plush, so that might help.

I would think keeping boot snugly inflated so there is no rubbing movement of boot against ankle would be key in reducing wound irritation. And it would help to either deflate or remove boot occasionally to make sure wound is fresh and circulation is good down there.

Hi there! Wow, you sound just like me! I actually posted on here about a week ago about the same issue! I broke my tibia and medial malleolus on 6/30. I had surgery on July 3rd and was in a cast, and then had my staples removed on the 17th (so exactly 2 weeks later), and was then put straight in a boot. So, pretty much just like you! 

Anyways, the first week I was in the boot - oh boy - it hurt and burned worse than I've ever experienced before! Almost worse than breaking my actual ankle! I didn't wrap mine up at all (I only had a nylon "sock" that they put on my leg/ankle to kind of cover the incisions. Well, trust me, the pain DOES get better! In fact, I'm exactly a week in wearing the boot, and the burning/rubbing pain is almost entirely gone. It's just that having just gotten your stitches s removed, the incisions are trying to heal themselves, so at least we know that they're healing! Yes, the boot is definitely heavy, but that's a good thing so that your ankle won't move around too much. Something I've been doing is continuing to elevate my ankle as much as possible. This really helps with the blood flow and relieves some of the pain as well. Wrapping your ankle is a great idea, I've heard of a lot of people who've done that. Just make sure it isn't too tight, and if you can, try to ice your ankle while it's wrapped for a few minutes to see if that relieves any of the pain. I've also found that taking my boot off for 10-20 minute intervals and just elevating it has definitely helped to relieve a bit of the pain from the boot rubbing against my incisions. Just try not to touch the incisions on anything dirty to avoid possible infections. But, of course, if your doctor has told you to leave your boot on until further notice, definitely listen to them! (Although you did wrap your ankle up, so you probably can take it off, lol). On a different, yet same not, haha, I've also been kind of clenching my ankle (an exercise you can do when non-weight bearing like us) where you bring your ankle/foot back towards you, and then kind of curl your toes to bring your ankles forward away from you. I've noticed that when doing this with the boot on and off, it helps my ankle loosen up inside the boot and not feel like the boot is rubbing up against it. 

Another note: Is your boot an air-boot? Or just a regular walking boot? If it's an air-boot like mine is, I've figured out that if I elevate my ankle and knee so that they're level and I take all the air out of the boot, that helps so that my ankle is a bit more "free" which seems to be the opposite of what you want to do, but I've found that if my ankle is wrapped up in my sock and isn't too tight in the boot, it really relieves some of the pressure and pain! It'll definitely feel a lot heavier than having it tight, but that just helps to make sure that your ankle won't move around. And also, I've found that after a few hours of having all the air out of my boot, when I put the air back in as much as it can go, it feels a lot more secure and better than if my ankle was in the tight boot 24/7, and it doesn't hurt as much. So, if you have an air-boot, try to alternate between no air, and fully aired-up (hopefully that makes sense!).

But just remember, it will get better!  I know it seems super unlikely right now to you, and you probably feel like this will last until you can take that darn boot off permanently, but it won't! Just give it a few more days and the pain will continue to lessen. Of course, if the pain from the boot rubbing against your incisions is EXCRUTIATING still after a week or a few more days, definitely contact your surgeons office and let them know to see what they think you should do. 

Keep us updated on how you're getting along, and I hope you find some comfort for your ankle while in the boot! Happy Recovery!