[Purpose] The aim of this study was to analyze the crutch position in the horizontal plane to confirm the stability of the axillary pad during double-crutch walking. [Subjects] Twelve healthy young subjects (6 males and 6 females). [Methods] The subjects were asked to walk in a straight line, using double crutches, for a distance of 5 m, 5 times. Crutch position data were obtained using four in...

Crutch walking is a widespread type of gait among elderly and injured people. The main problem of crutch locomotion is its high energy consumption which is between two and three times that of normal walking in terms of metabolic cost [1]. Furthermore, it is highly demanding for the upper-body muscles, which are not suited for such efforts. Despite these inconveniences, the psychological importa...

PURPOSE The African Disability Scooter (ADS) was developed for lower limb amputees, to improve mobility and provide access to different terrains. The aim of this study was to test the efficiency of the ADS in Africa over different terrains. METHOD Eight subjects with a mean age of 12 years participated. Energy expenditure and speed were calculated over different terrains using the ADS, a pros...

Crutches carry a physiological and psychological benefits especially when they’re compared to the wheelchair. However, traditional crutches could yield a large number of problems to the user which may overshadow its benefits. Furthermore, Engineers found that forearm crutches are suitable for the majority as it has minimum disadvantages comparted to the other crutches. Previous researches recom...

OBJECTIVE To compare 3-dimensional (3D) shoulder joint reaction forces and stride characteristics during bilateral forearm crutches and front-wheeled walker ambulation in persons with incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI). DESIGN Cross-sectional cohort study. SETTING Biomechanics laboratory. PARTICIPANTS Fourteen adult volunteers with incomplete SCI recruited from outpatient rehabilitation ...

Crutch-assisted walking is very common among patients with a temporary or permanent impairment affecting lower limb biomechanics. Correct crutches’ handling the way to avoid undesired side effects in limbs recovery or, chronic users, upper joints diseases. Active exoskeletons for spinal cord injured are commonly crutch assisted. In such cases, which must be preserved, specific training use mand...

In order to resolve the disadvantages of conventional crutch designs (i.e. underarm and forearm), a novel crutch design is presented with the name of 21 Century Crutch. Prior the design, human natural treadmill walking is monitored by a 3D Motion Capture System and acquired a reference end–foot trajectory with a ‘teardrop shape’. Considering the design objectives, natural human walking and comf...

AbstructWe present a kinematic model of a paraplegic subject walking with crutches where the subject with the crutches is modeled as a parallel kinematic structure. The model is employed to investigate if certain quadrupedal gait patterns can be implemented with functional electrical stimulation. The study is motivated by the fact that the existing crutch-assisted gait realized by the electrica...

We present a kinematic model of a paraplegic subject walking with crutches where the subject with the crutches is modeled as a parallel kinematic structure. The model is employed to investigate if certain quadrupedal gait patterns can be implemented with functional electrical stimulation. The study is motivated by the fact that the existing crutch-assisted gait realized by the electrical stimul...