An alternative to crutches

[Bronco1]

Just wanted to share this item with folks should they or someone they know find themselves on crutches for a lower leg/ankle/foot issue. 2 weeks ago I had to have a revision of the subtalar fusion I had before. The original surgeon did a really poor job and it didn't take. I already have a set of in motion crutches from before but, in our current home, it's a two story. Crutches, especially in motion crutches, aren't a good mix. Additionally, if you've ever been on crutches, you know how hard they are on your wrist and shoulders. Especially in my case since I previously separated my left shoulder.

Anyway, I came across something that was a big improvement, it's called an i Walk 2.0. It's kind of like a peg leg with a platform for your lower leg. (Kind of makes you look like a bionic pirate, arrrgh, me hearties!) It's adjustable for people of different heights. It's available from Amazon and other places and there's a lot of videos on it at Youtube. You can go up and down stairs with it, walk with it and it it's much less tiring and painful than crutches. The scooters are fine but, they can't negotiate stairs. The i Walk isn't for everyone. You need reasonable balance and a little practice to get it down. They run about $150 and some insurances cover the costs.

p.s. I don't work for i Walk nor did I get any compensation for this

 

[Silk]

My wife has a broken ankle at the moment, and finds crutches a problem...she may have hurt her arm in the fall, and not apparent until she has to put weight on the arm. She has a scooter which helps, not so good in our '70's house, but at my daughters modern house with more open spaces it's good. No 2 story houses. We went to the library yesterday, so much better with the scooter than crutches. The peg leg sounds like a good alternative.

We get the scooter and crutches supplied, a bath chair too. If we had to pay cash for this stuff, a peg leg would be better.

 

[PalmSpringsSCal]

Yeah,I know the crutch routine. Sore as [censored] arm pits.
Try finding a physical therapist forum. If you cant find an expert there,they can recommend you to a site that may have specialists in rehab forum.

 

[Ducked]

less tech but I've found a fairly long bamboo staff useful in the past, since you can sort of hang from it, which formerly tree living primates are designed to do. Gives you a sort of dangerous Shaolin priest edge, so no one gives you any [censored], but you get some funny looks, ...ah...glasshoppa