Tips

Some patients have bought tool belts used by builders or gardeners to carry things about like phones, a newspaper or magazine or a paperback.

Other patients use a small rucksack to do the same thing, leaving both hands free for crutches or to carry something.

A mobile phone is an obvious thing but a spare charging cable might be a good buy as well as cordless home handsets with spare batteries in a few places around the house mean you won’t be disturbed just as you have got comfy.

If you have a laptop, again look into buying a spare mains lead so you don’t run out of battery. Original manufacturer leads can be expensive but cheaper alternatives are easily available from high street chains.

A vacuum flask or thermal mug with a lid makes a hot drink less of a scalding hazard and means you can concentrate on moving about carefully and safely.

Think about the little things you often need in a hurry, like a pen and paper and buy a few of everything to keep in different rooms.

Everyone has heard of using a knitting needle to scratch inside a cast but they can't reach everywhere, so a length of heavy duty garden strimmer can flex into places a knitting needle can't.

For patients with external frames, hygiene is doubly important around the fixing pins. Some patients have adapted washing up brushes with a cavity for soap by trimming it back to the foam to get into the frame.

Another useful purchase for patients with a frame on their foot is small mirror on a stand to allow you to see the underside of your foot or the heel when cleaning around pins.

If you have a frame, you risk catching clothing and soft furnishings on ends of screws. Thin plastic tubing is available from DIY shops for a few pence per metre. Cut short lengths off with scissors and use them to cap screws to prevent snagging.

If you have a frame below the knee, and don’t want to wear shorts, look for the trousers sold in outdoor shops that can be unzipped above the knee to convert into shorts.

A cast or frame on the leg is a problem when it comes to underwear and it pays to remember that fabric that contains some Lycra can stretch a long way.

Combat style trousers have multiple pockets which are useful for carrying small items about with you.

The EXOGEN 'Bake with a Break' Cook Book is full of handy ideas to make the kitchen less of an assault course and help you to prepare food for yourself and others. See the special section.