WILMINGTON, Delaware – President-elect Joe Biden is likely to wear walking boots over the next few weeks as he recovers from breaking his right leg by playing with one of his dogs, his doctor said.
Biden suffered the injury on Saturday and visited an orthopedist in Newark, Delaware, on Sunday afternoon, his office said.
“The initial x-ray showed no obvious fracture,” but medical staff ordered a more detailed CT scan, his doctor, Kevin O’Connor, said. Subsequent examination found tiny fractures of two small bones in the middle of his right leg, O’Connor said.
“He’s expected to need walking boots for several weeks,” O’Connor said.
Fractures are usually a concern as people age, but Biden’s symptoms appear to be relatively mild based on the doctor’s statement and planned treatment. He will be the oldest president at the age of 78 when he inaugurates in January; he often dismissed age issues during the campaign.
Journalists describing the elected president did not have the opportunity to have Biden go to the doctor’s office on Sunday, despite repeated requests. Leaving the doctor’s office to head to an imaging center for his CT scan, Biden was apparently limping, though he was walking without a crutch or other aid.
Biden was injured by Major, one of Bidens’ two dogs. They hired Major in 2018 and acquired their first dog, Champot, after the 2008 election. Bidens said they are taking their dogs to the White House and also planning a cat.
Last December, he published a medical report saying he was taking statins to keep his cholesterol levels healthy, but his doctor considered him “healthy, strong” and “fit for successful presidency duties”.
The story of Alexandra Jaffe. Associated Press writer Zeke Miller contributed to this report.
