The Cage

A friend complained about a temporary foot problem: Before this happened, she said, I didn’t even know I had feet. They’ve never bothered me.

Oh, to be able to forget about feet. A luxury beyond imagination.

I was born with a fairly common congenital condition that is problematic by itself. When I began struggling with rheumatoid arthritis, my feet became a constant source of pain. If you saw me walk down the street today, you wouldn’t know I had a problem, but that hasn’t always been the case. In this post I’m going to tell you about a simple device that made a huge difference—and that might help others as well.

At one point I couldn’t tolerate anything on my feet when in bed—not even the weight of blankets. I read an article in an arthritis magazine that suggested placing a board below the feet to keep the blankets off. The board fell over the first night. In the morning the board was too heavy for me to handle when I wanted to make the bed.

A nurse suggested pillows and they were better—but not great. At best, they took a lot of space. If I moved too much and they began to topple, they’d spread out over the entire bottom of the bed. After a month or two with that scenario, my husband Ken had enough and came up with his solution. We called it The Cage:

The first cage had another bar along the bottom of the back. That held it in place when under the blankets. And it worked. I’m grateful to God for answered prayer and I'm grateful for doctors and the medications, but I can’t imagine how I’d have made it without my cage. In winter I added a hot water bottle to keep my feet toasty warm all night.

Nurses who looked at the cage called it a foot cradle. However, foot cradles in catalogs are different—devices that slide under the mattress and that interfere with making a bed. I wouldn’t be able to handle them by myself. They’re probably fine for people who are bedridden, but I wanted a normal life and that included a normal bedroom.

If we stayed overnight with someone, I carried the cage with me as though it was an extra piece of luggage—it made a great conversation starter. As long as we traveled by car, no problem; but not so when flying. Although lightweight, the cage was too bulky to pack. So when we decided it would be cheaper to fly to visit our daughter and family, Ken made adjustments. He removed the long bottom piece (the one missing in the photo) and put hinges where the sides met the top so they could fold in. To reattach the bottom he installed small hooks. When unassembled and folded, it fit in a suitcase.

It worked well for a time, until the eyes for the hooks loosened. Then the hooks would occasionally come free, the back piece would slide out of place, one or both of the side pieces would slide in, and I’d feel not only blankets but wood pieces on my tender feet.

As a temporary measure Ken reassembled the sides permanently, forgetting about the back piece. This didn’t stay in place as well but my feet were much better and we got along.

Until Ken made the latest improvement—a cage out of PVC pipe.

It looks complicated because the corners don’t quite meet. That’s one reason I wanted to show the wood version first, to provide a clear illustration of function. In this cage the pieces are joined by various kinds of elbows that have to be placed according to availability.

The PVC cage is better on several counts:

1. It’s easy to assemble and disassemble. Joints of the top and bottom rectangles are glued together, but the four vertical pieces are easily removed. They don’t come apart in bed because the weight of the blankets keep them in place.

On a daily basis I leave it intact; it rests on the floor of my closet. When we pack for a trip, even if it’s a trip by car, I take it apart, pack it, and assemble it again when I unpack.


2. PVC is lighter than wood. Although the pieces Ken used for the wood version were not heavy, this weighs almost nothing.

3. The edges are round. With the original cage, even Ken would occasionally kick the sharp edge of the wood pieces during the night. PVC pipes are less intrusive.

4. PVC pipes are inexpensive and easy to cut with a saw.

There is a down side. Our bottom sheet wears out more quickly in the spots where the corner of the cage rests. This was true of both versions. We think it’s a small price to pay—well, with today’s prices, a not-so-small price—but nevertheless, a price we’re willing to pay for the benefits gained. Here’s a picture of the cage under our bedding.

If tender feet are a problem for you, try making a cage. You’ll like it.