If one is recovering from a knee or from a foot injury, he need not be confined to bed. Crutches do offer a solution but it does not allow for smooth movement and also slows down walking. Knee rolling walkers are the new age assistive mobility devices that allow such patients to move faster and with ease.
What is a knee walker?
A knee walker is like a child’s scooter with a comfortable padded seat. The injured leg or foot can be placed on it. With the healthy leg, the patient pushes the walker. It has four wheels, two in front and two at the back. There is a handlebar to help move the assistive device in all directions. There is a break that can be used to control the speed. It is highly recommended for below the knee injuries in patients.
Knee rolling walker vs. crutches
- Crutches are also a solution for those with injured foot or leg, however, one must have great upper body strength to haul the body and walk each step.
- Walking with crutches is slower. It is faster to walk with the knee walker. Knee walker has breaks to help the patient control speed.
- Crutches can often be unsteady leading to falls that can be very dangerous, while knee rolling walkers are extremely steady as they are on four wheels.
- The cushion on the padded seat of the rolling walker provides relief from carrying the weight of the plaster around. But while walking with crutches, the extra weight has to be carried with each step.
- Knee walkers do not allow the patient to move up and down the stairs while crutches do.
A knee rolling walker has more advantages. It definitely wins hands down in its acceptability by patients of all age groups.
Benefits of a knee walker
Patients using the knee walker experience many benefits. They are as follows:
- Patients find the knee walker extremely useful in cases where the injured leg, foot or ankle has to remain elevated.
- When a patient injures a leg, foot or ankle, rehabilitation is greatly speeded if the leg remains non weight bearing.
- It does not tire the patient.
- Less energy is used to move around.
- The handlebar of the kneeling rolling walker can be moved with one hand helping to keep the other free for other different errands.
- Since the injured leg, knee or ankle is elevated and the movement is using wheels, the weight of the body gets distributed.
- The knee walker helps to keep the muscle and bone strength intact for faster rehabilitation.
It is not necessary to buy a knee walker when injured. Knee walkers can easily be rented from hospitals and rehabilitation centres. Many of these facilities are available online. Once registered onto the online site, the patient can easily rent the walker by paying the rent amount. When completely rehabilitated, the patient can return the knee rolling walker.