In vivo Shoulder Joint Loads during Walking with Crutches

After injuries, following hip and knee surgery, or because of partial spinal cord lesion, people are dependent on walking aids like crutches to unload the lower extremities. However, the mechanical load, transferred to the shoulder, has only been calculated by mathematical models with strong varying results [1]. In vivo measurements of the shoulder joint loads are therefore necessary to improve these mathematical models, to instruct medical staff, and to advice patients in their everyday live. In this study we measured all six load components with an instrumented shoulder replacement during ambulation with forearm and underarm crutches (FC and UC) with different rates of weight bearing.