iWALK hands free crutches

[AnnieA]

Excellent for keeping you moving while recovering from a lower extremity injury.

Video includes checklist to see if it's appropriate for you.

Harrison Ford (71 years old in 2104) about to board a plane using the iWALK.

 

[Aunt Marg]

What a breakthrough that is!

Always so nice to see progress being made in the medical field.

 

[AnnieA]

What a breakthrough that is!

Always so nice to see progress being made in the medical field.

A Canadian farmer--not a medical professional--came up with the idea for this. As a farmer's daughter, I'm so not surprised. No days off from farm chores and good farmers have amazingly well-developed problem solving skills for mechanical and living things ...many decisions made every day on how to wing it.

From the website:

These new age hands-free crutches had an old school beginning. In the late 1990s, a Canadian farmer fell from his roof and broke his ankle. There is no personal time off in farming, so he propped his knee on a stool so he could continue working. He realized it would be great if the stool could just move with him, so he built the prototype of what would become the iWALK out of wood. The rest is mobility history.​

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[Aunt Marg]

A Canadian farmer--not a medical professional--came up with the idea for this. As a farmer's daughter, I'm so not surprised. No days off from farm chores!

From the website:

These new age hands-free crutches had an old school beginning. In the late 1990s, a Canadian farmer fell from his roof and broke his ankle. There is no personal time off in farming, so he propped his knee on a stool so he could continue working. He realized it would be great if the stool could just move with him, so he built the prototype of what would become the iWALK out of wood. The rest is mobility history.​

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LOL, about the no days off for the farmers daughter!

Your post reminded me of a friend I had in elementary school. She had broken her leg skiing, and as her best friend, I was appointed to be her aid whenever she had to leave class (bathroom breaks etc), helping her up and down the stairs, etc.

Of course back in those days old-fashioned wooden crutches were the way of the day.

 

[AnnieA]

LOL, about the no days off for the farmers daughter!

My first 'paid' job was library page at the county library the summer I turned 16. My first day off was July 4th. I spent it driving a John Deere tractor field cultivating. No choice in the matter and I'm pretty sure I didn't get holiday overtime pay.

 

[MarciKS]

I wonder if that would bother your knee though?

 

[AnnieA]

I wonder if that would bother your knee though?

Not unless you have knee problems. The injury has to be below the knee. Lots of videos on youtube showing all the things people do using one.

 

[Aunt Marg]

My first 'paid' job was library page at the county library the summer I turned 16. My first day off was July 4th. I spent it driving a John Deere tractor field cultivating. No choice in the matter and I'm pretty sure I didn't get holiday overtime pay.

LOL!

Right you are about the pay, Annie!

I did a heap of babysitting for my mom and dad when I was growing up, and pay never figured in, though mom rewarded me every now and then with a little something special to remind me as to how much they appreciated my services.

We're you rewarded a little extra for the time you spent helping on the farm?

 

[MarciKS]

Not unless you have knee problems. The injury has to be below the knee. Lots of videos on youtube showing all the things people do using one.

It's neat that they came out with that but like for me...I can't be on my knees very long so I can't see being able to put that much pressure on it for the crutch. I like the idea of it though. Pretty cool.

 

[Kadee]

I wonder if that would bother your knee though?

The little scooter did it’s job for me to get around to help hubby with shopping for food
but it made my hip and knee hurt , Im going to watch the video now about the new aid but was wondering the same if it hurt the knee
My knee boot came right up to my Knee so that didn’t help me getting my knee sitting right on the scooter .
I had a fibreglass plaster for a while before the boot

 

[MarciKS]

The little scooter did it’s job for me to get around to help hubby with shopping for food
but it made my hip and knee hurt , Im going to watch the video now about the new aid but was wondering the same if it hurt the knee
My knee boot came right up to my Knee so that didn’t help me getting my knee sitting right on the scooter .
I had a fibreglass plaster for a while before the boot

we had a lady at work with a boot from a foot injury or something with the little scooter. she never said boo one way or the other. she was too big for that crutch.

 

[Kadee]

we had a lady at work with a boot from a foot injury or something with the little scooter. she never said boo one way or the other. she was too big for that crutch.

I noticed the video said there was a certain weight limit on who could use them @MarciKS

 

[MarciKS]

i don't know how stable it would be for someone that was older. i don't think i'd feel safe with it.

 

[Kadee]

I had to be very careful with the scooter on any uneven surfaces such a a join/ crack in concrete or uneven pavers / or those anti slip dots on walkways leading into a shopping centre
cause the scooter has a hard plastic type of wheel that didn’t bounce over any rough surfaces like it would if it had pneumatic wheels
They had both types on eBay where I bought it $139 but with not having any experience with using them in-the past, knowing what I know now I would have paid extra and got the one with pneumatic tyres on the other hand it may be harder to push it with the good leg with the rubber tyres and I’m not about to break any more bones to try it .
The ones with pneumatic tyres were on average twice the price of the one I bought
Which have seen a big price increase since I bought mine plus I got free postage

 

[AnnieA]

i don't know how stable it would be for someone that was older. i don't think i'd feel safe with it.

It depends on what shape a person is in. I know a woman in her 90s with a van like mine who solo, remote camps and regularly hikes 3-5 miles.

Criteria is at the end of the video and also at this link from the website. It isn't recommended for people who had balance issues or used walking aids before their injury. Body weight is also a factor.

At the end of the criteria page is this statement:

If you’re over 60, pay careful attention – iWALK crutch might not be for you. The iWALK has been used successfully by people in their 70’s and beyond, but we’ve also seen people in their early 60’s who couldn’t adapt. What we’ve learned is that as we age mobility capabilities vary greatly from individual to individual, so it’s difficult to put precise age limits on who can use the iWALK crutch. So instead of AGE LIMITS, we’ve found that ABILITY LIMITS work much better. So as long as you keep your expectations reasonable, and follow our ability guidelines, then age alone isn’t a governing factor in whether you can use the iWALK crutch.​

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ABILITY GUIDELINES- If you could walk with normal gait, unassisted prior to your injury, then you’re likely a good candidate for the iWALK crutch. Further, if you could go up or down stairs quickly, without requiring a handrail for balance or support, then you have the physical ability to succeed on iWALK crutch.​

 

[MarciKS]

It depends on what shape a person is in. I know a woman in her 90s with a van like mine who solo, remote camps and regularly hikes 3-5 miles.

Criteria is at the end of the video.

i'm sure it does.