I got a cut to the sole of my foot and had 10 stitches put in 5 days ago. seems to be healing quite well. can I start swimming yet?
This is classic slowtwitch stuff here (asking medical advice from anonymous people with no credentials). 
I’d say one thing for sure: no OWS until completely healed. Any takers on pool swimming?
I got a cut to the sole of my foot and had 10 stitches put in 5 days ago. seems to be healing quite well. can I start swimming yet?
You are in a position to look at your foot.
If that was someone else’s foot and they went swimming in your pool lane, would you mind? If the answer is no, then you might be ready to enter the pool.
A decade ago (was it that long?!?), I had surgery on the bottom of my foot (a whole bunch of stitches). I got back in the pool two days later. But what I did was tape it up, put two plastic bags (redundancy) over my foot, used waterproof tape to keep that snug and sealed, and made sure it stayed dry.
The following month of daily swimming, when I couldn’t run or bike, marked my return to triathlon after > five years off.
Go to a high end pharmacy. The ones close to the large medical centers or hospitals. Ask for the clear waterproof wound covers that you can put over your wound that would be water resistant. It might not be able to resist water for two or three swim sessions, but it should be able to do the job for one swim session.
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Andy - you want this to heal properly the first time and not have to go back to the person who put the sutures in and apologize for being goofy. If you follow the directions above and can guarantee water tightness - think about what happens to the plantar surface of your foot when you push off the wall both with regard to deforming your water tight bandage as well as forces across the wound - then I say go for it. Maybe a short pool swim the first time to ensure success. But, truly the answer to this question lies with your practitioner who knows how deep the wound is, how complex it is, proximity to any structures, which if submerged at the “Y” might be harmed, etc. It’s a quick phone call and you might even learn something we haven’t told you.
John
What about something like Tegaderm? I have used it for road rash a couple of times and is very water proof while still flexible. I like to think it’s kind of a medical grade saran wrap.
Have bought OTC before from CVS.
I got a cut to the sole of my foot and had 10 stitches put in 5 days ago. seems to be healing quite well. can I start swimming yet?
Can you please explain to everyone why you are asking an anonymous internet board instead of the Dr. who put the stitches in on whether you can swim?
I got a cut to the sole of my foot and had 10 stitches put in 5 days ago. seems to be healing quite well. can I start swimming yet?
Can you please explain to everyone why you are asking an anonymous internet board instead of the Dr. who put the stitches in on whether you can swim?
+10000
If you’re afraid that your doctor might say “No,” you might want to consider that there’s a reason for his or her answer. (And don’t assume. I had sutures in my knee this past December, and my doctor gave the okay for exercise including swimming. I do gather, however, that it very much depends on the type of suture.)
Stephen
3 diffierent doctors have looked at it upto today, and given me different answers, ranging from 5 days to one week after stitches are removed
.
Andy - you want this to heal properly the first time and not have to go back to the person who put the sutures in and apologize for being goofy. If you follow the directions above and can guarantee water tightness - think about what happens to the plantar surface of your foot when you push off the wall both with regard to deforming your water tight bandage as well as forces across the wound - then I say go for it. Maybe a short pool swim the first time to ensure success. But, truly the answer to this question lies with your practitioner who knows how deep the wound is, how complex it is, proximity to any structures, which if submerged at the “Y” might be harmed, etc. It’s a quick phone call and you might even learn something we haven’t told you.
John
Forgot to mention that I didn’t push off the wall with that foot the entire month. Single legged flip turns are a bear.
Pool water has to be worse than most open water I know of.
Certainly ocean swimming is better for you than a pool!
while not in my foot, annoyingly, I’ve had too many stitches over the years. I don’t swim until at least a week after the stitches are removed.
If you’re not going to podium at Kona, why delay your healing by swimming in soup…I mean a swimming pool. Not like you’re actually gunna lose any real fitness
after stitches are removed
**ARE THE STITCHES OUT YET? **
THEN NO, YOU CANNOT SWIM. DON’T BE AN IDIOT.
What about something like Tegaderm? I have used it for road rash a couple of times and is very water proof while still flexible. I like to think it’s kind of a medical grade saran wrap.
Have bought OTC before from CVS.
Tegaderm is great stuff. I use it all the time, and it really truly does keep wounds dry, even while submerged.
I’ve found that Tegaderm only works well on relatively flat surfaces like shins or forearms. Anything anywhere near a joint and the water gets in because the material only has so much flex and anything bendy causes it to pull away just enough.
Depending on which part of the foot OP’s talking about, this may or may not be a problem.
Personally, I’d just stay out of the pool for a week.