The Practical Crutches for You ! - Leverage with Crutches better than a cane - Personal - http://maxpages.com/happymspage/The_practical

UPDATE April 15,2008 Crutches will save you energy and help to keep you vertical longer
against the day you much start using a wheelchair full time.Most of us when we were in the crutches stage also used either a wheelchair or scooter part time as we wanted to arrive or shop longer without massive fatigue.RET 4/15/08

Lowest priced folding crutches on the planet!
$64
Put your browser search type in Millennial crutches to see them or at www.1-800-wheelchair.com
They are ergomically designed to save your wrists ,arm and reduce pain in back ,arms,sholder,hands wrists and fingers. These crutches are really for the active person on the GO! The folding is quick with push pins so you will not have two handicaps,first yor current disability and second where do I put my crutches.
You can easily eliminate the later by getting these Millennial crutches .
RET

The well used crutches will make it possible for you
to get a leverage improvment that you wouldn't get with either a walker or a cane.

It takes practice . I didn't notice the leverage factor until I had used them
for about two or three weeks.

Eventually you will get up even speed and agility with them .
Every time I start feeling good and strong of legs . I "test the waters" and
try going just a few steps with out my crutches. I soon learn its not going
to work and I realize maybe I was made for crutches after now 24 years of use.
I know one thing without them I'm almsot lost and don't want to do anything ,just lay around doing nothing.With them I can easily do two miles maybe more in a pinch.

My doctor says I have an adventursome brain that just is ready to check
out new ideas.He figures If I had to I could do 5 miles and then get tired and
want to sleep a while.

.

Color and variety of crutches.Get what you want!!

Go about the internet and several companies have crutches
of various colors.After you have got your initial shock of needing
crutches you may want some style and color.I have several colors
in my several pairs of crutches after 20+ years of using them one
is baby blue,another black,and my other is normal colorfor titanium isgray.
Crutches do become personal items and you learn to appreciate
them.

Crutches need refinement even still more engineering.
Keem Mobility has brought it along more than any other company but
they need to tale it further by making the "navigator" foldable.
If you never used folding crutches you don't know what you have missed
in convenience. If you have never seen the "navigator go to their web site at
www.keenmobility.com

You can now get 10 different colors with the folding crutches see www.awardprothetics.com

Somewhere along the way crutches got bad press and has become an
object to be shuned.Actually when you need them as many of us do and
will in some nearby time,they are the best of assistive devices.
What are the alternatives to crutches?
1. a cane ,not near the balance tool, and very little leverage for you.
Besides they will throw an unequal strain on your spine.
Do you want back problems to be added to your gait
problems?
2.Get a walker.I have tried even the best of these.Could have had one
with seat,basket and hand brakes for free.I took it back after two weeks trial.
First of all the strain of propulsion is still acting through your body.
Here again you get no leverage.Sure they are good to keep you from falling down
,But that is about it unless the seat idea thrills you. But these monsters
take up a lot of space in a car.Enough for another person to sit.
3. The wheelchair? "The chair you say?You probable aren't ready for
such inconveniences.The choice will require even more space than the walker.
Besides you will be dependent on some one to hall it out of the trunk.
You will not be vertical and while the chair may feel great,this not
standing up will increase your chances of bladder problems and
your other organs will be partially folded all the time,except
when you are in bed.

Back to the beauty of using crutches.
With crutches there are many choices.Naturally the cheaper ones in
most pharmacies for about $40 .They are OK,but not just as classy as some made special.the cost of special made crutches can run up to $800.
But there are some very good ones for $300.
If you are going to be using crutches over an extended period of time
that is more than one year you need the better grades.
Possibibly your insurance will go part of the
way in buying them,and you will have to do the rest.
You say you don't like that arrangement? Then maybe they would
go for folding crutches of the forearm style for $220.
They are wonderful crutches as the convenience of folding quickly is
even better and you will still be able to get 4 large persons into a regular car.
In fact a smaller car you will be able to
fit 4 people and your crutches,
At the end of this article when I finish it I will have some web
addresses to try for the products I'm mentioning

The advantage of using crutches if your gait has degenerated can't be overstated.
The first time I was told to shift from a cane to crutches came as a storm
and surprise.As I thought I was doing OK.
My doctor wrote on my record and a prescription recently That i have Gait Ataxia
deteration.I well I know it.

But many later told me when they saw me
using the new crutches my walk had smoothed out and looked better.
My doctor at the time told me straight off when I had my regular appointment
with him about 19years ago.He instisted damage had been done and it wouldn't
correct.He was right it never did reverse.

If you have a question about your gait and your difficulty walking with a
cane or walker as someone if you should start using crutches and do they think
it will extend your walking ability. Usually it will extend your walking
distance without any increasing your fatigue.

Remember no other assistive instrument will give you the increased leverage that crutches offers you. The number of full time, long term users in the USA is about 1,000,000 users .These figures are hard to obtain .They are mostly an educated guess
from sales.

Remember you probably can end up doing almost all the things you formerly did
without out them before your disease started.Most of us can do all the"tricks"
after three or so years of constant use. The second week I met a woman in a local
hardware who had done years of crutches use.she knew I was a newby and sort of
took me under her wing for instruction.She said about the same thing "It will only
take you several years to do all the tricks I can do and I've been using them over 25years. My forthcoming book will have illustrations or photos on things that
are unusual like setting the table,cooking,making the bed,getting your suitcase
off the convayer belt at the airport,Pulling the suitcase which has wheels,driving
with hand controls,doing the escalator,steps,witout a handrail,fast way to do steps,
conveniences you need about your home,carrying in your groceries,doing laundry,washing the car,vacumning the carpet and many others.

Eileen Lukeman and Richard Tanner

FL.

Eileen(Lobosgirl) and Richard (RET1000) both at aol.com

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Page Updated Wed Jan 8, 2003 10:17pm EST