Canes and Crutches
CRUTCHES, FOREARM, INCLUDES CRUTCHES OF VARIOUS MATERIALS, ADJUSTABLE OR FIXED, PAIR, COMPLETE WITH TIPS AND HANDGRIPS. Canes, crutches, and walkers improve balance, assist walking, reduce load on the lower limbs, transmit sensory cues, and enable maneuvering in places inaccessible to a wheelchair. Assistive devices are manufactured in many designs. Canes differ by material, handle shape, and base. Crutches may have an axillary piece, a forearm cuff, or an upper arm support. Walkers can have wheels or rubber tips. Correct measurement is essential with any assistive device. Gait patterns used with assistive devices may be alternating (reciprocal), in which the user moves one foot at a time, or swinging (simultaneous), with patient moving both feet at the same time. Kinetic analyses indicate that the duration and amount of force applied to a device varies according to its purpose: balance, pain relief, or transferring the body through space. Kinematic analyses confirm that patients tend to walk faster when aided by a device. Heart rate and energy consumption are affected by the type of device and the way it is used. Benefits associated with device use include greater stability and reduced stress on the lower limbs. Assistive devices may, however, compress nerves in the upper limb and may embarrass the user.