1. Let your arm hang down by your side.
2. Place the crutch in front of your arm with the handle of the crutch against it.
3. Adjust the height of the crutch so that:
To adjust the handle of your crutch, push the pins in and slide the crutch to the correct height. You can do the same to adjust the height of the clasp.
If your crutches are too low, you will end up leaning forward and will have completely straight arms, as in picture 3. This can increase the weight you put on the front of your arms, and could cause you lower back pain.
If your crutches are too high, your shoulders will be pushed up and your elbows will be bent too much, as in picture 4. This will make it difficult to move around as you won’t be able to push down hard enough through your arms to support your legs. It could also cause shoulder and neck pain.
If you aren’t sure whether your crutches are set up correctly for you, ask a physiotherapist to check. Or if you’re preparing for a surgery and will need to use crutches afterwards, why not contact us on 020 3422 6655 or info@physiomotion.co.uk to arrange an appointment pre-operation to ensure you are fully prepared for after the surgery?