"I had two bad hips, but at 48 years old they didn't want to replace them so they decided to re-form them. This involved drilling off pieces of the bone and repairing the labrum. Unfortunately with this surgery I had to be completely off each leg for two weeks and then two more weeks of just toe touching. I had the first surgery done in June and use traditional crutches for my recovery. I knew enough to not put the weight of my body on my underarms but still wore my sides sore with holding the crutches tight to my body. My hands and elbows got very sore within the first week. By two weeks I hated those crutches.
My second surgery was scheduled for October and I knew I wanted something different. I researched and foundsmartCRUTCHES. But, they weren't available yet in the U.S. so I contacted the manufacturer and asked them to let me know as soon as they were. Interestingly enough, two weeks before my surgery I injured my elbow, tennis elbow they called it. I also received my crutches before the surgery.
Fast forward to post surgery. I will admit the smartCRUTCHES have a learning curve to them. I was less steady and it require more arm/shoulder strength to use them vs. traditional crutches. I learned with practice and became more steady. At one point about a week after surgery I was a little frustrated so I switched back to the traditional crutches for a day. That was a huge mistake. Those crutches aggravated my tennis elbow so badly, it made it worse than it had ever been. When I switched back to the smartCRUTCHES there was no strain on my tennis elbow. I was so glad it allowed me to keep resting that elbow but allowed me to still be mobile.
I'm sold onsmartCRUTCHES. It took me about a week and a half of using them and playing around with the different angles to find what worked for me but they are great.
Thank you smartCRUTCH for making my recovery period much less painful."
David H, Indiana, USA
My second purchase of the rubber tips. Well made, durable and fit my existing poles.
Finally poles for someone taller. These things are great, super sturdy with grips that fit my hands.
I love my new foldable walking poles. They are so convenient to use when out hiking. Recently brought them with me to the Berkshires; they made trekking through the snow so easy!
It's really made my recovery easier (I broke my ankle) and I'm sure it will be useful for other mobility issues I have.
Don't get me wrong they're useful. They help the crutches stand up and be less likely to tip. But honestly thats all the praise I can give them. The main issue I have is that the to top magnets piece are not long enough to extend past the crutch cuff. This results in the magnets not being able to fully make contact SIGNIFICANTLY reducing their ability to stick together. The advertisements are more tame here on smart crutchs than geckos own site but you cannot carry one and support the other because without the magnets making that full contact they aren't strong enough to support the weight. Additionally (not smart crutches fault) the wrist straps gecko sells are not long enough to reach your wrists even on the smallest forearm setting, which I use. I use them every day, but I wish they were better.