Using a crutch is never a very attractive look but sometimes we just have to use one for our health’s sake. Most people complained of the pain crutches caused to the armpit and the wrist. However, armpits and wrist pain are largely caused by improper use of this medical device.
In this article, we will uncover how to make crutches more comfortable and how to stop crutches from hurting your armpits. The solutions are quite simple; use the crutches as intended, measure them up properly for use and add a little padding where necessary.
Use the crutches as intended
Use the crutches as a medical aid to help you walk or be more mobile as your foot or ankle heal. The crutches were never designed for you to lean on, and put pressure on your underarm, while you carry out some other task. It should be used as a walking aid. Further down in the article you will learn how to walk properly with a crutch.
Crutches: Measure them up properly for use
The top of the crutch should never be in contact with the underarm. If the crutches are in contact with the underarm it can cause nerve damage in the arms. Nerve damage is typically caused by the weight of your body putting pressure on your underarm as you use the crutch. In order to prevent this, you should never rest your armpits on your crutches, not even for a very short time. It is prescribed that the top of the crutch should be about one and a half to inches below your armpit.
How to properly measure the crutch to suit your height.
You should measure the crutch not from the armpits down but instead from the handgrip downwards to the floor.
Step 1: Stand straight
Stand straight with your hands in a relaxed position with your elbows locked.
Step 2: Adjust the handgrip
Adjust the length of the crutch downward or upward until the handgrip is positioned inline with your wrist. You should be able to support your body weight without the top of the crutch resting on your underarm. Your forearm should be straight.
Step 3: Walk
While walking the crutch should not put any pressure on your underarm. If this happens you did not measure the crutch properly. In this case, you should start at step one again.
Adjust the hand-grip upward or downward (which might mean adjusting the length of the crutch) until you can support your weight on your palms without having the top of the crutches touch your armpit. Your forearms should be straight.
Add padding to the top of your crutch
The top of the crutch can be a little abrasive on the underarm. A little padding can be added so that the top of the crutch is not so abrasive under on your underarm. A superb little hack on how to stop crutches from hurting your underarm is to add padding.
There are a number of commercial crutch pads that are available and can be purchased online easily to cushion your crutch. The one that I like is the Crutcheze Premium Crutch Pad and Hand Grip Covers that are sold on amazon. It is quite cheap but works well. You want one that is secured firmly to the crutch.
Padding that constantly shifts around can be quite uncomfortable. Even with the crutches being padded, the majority of your weight should be on your hands.
Add padding to the handgrips also to improve comfort.
Since the majority of your body weight in on our hands, there is a possibility that your palms may get sore.
A great way to eliminate this pain and increase your overall comfort when using a crutch is to also pad the grip area of the crutch. The extra padding around this area is definitely how you can make using crutches more comfortable.
Remember that any padding on your hand grip should be securely fastened in place so that your hands don’t shift on the handgrip and cause injury.
How to Make Crutches More Comfortable and use them properly to increase comfort?
Since using crutches a necessary part of getting better from an injured leg. It is important that we know how to make crutches more comfortable for the person who has to use them. We mentioned it at the top but it does not hurt if we mentioned it here again.
Adjusting your crutches is the first thing that we have to learn in order to stop crutches from hurting your armpits. Poorly fitted crutches are the main cause of crutch pain. If your crutches aren’t properly fitted, they will cause you to experience additional and unnecessary pain.
Adjust the crutches to find the right crutch height for you
Correctly adjusting your crutches will make a difference in improving the overall comfort of the crutches.
The steps are easy: stand upright in your regular shoes, then place the crutches under your arm with the bottom of the crutch a few inches in front of your foot. In this position, the top of the crutches should be approximately one to two inches below your armpits; There should also be a slight bend in your elbows when your hand is on the grip.
The bend should be around 15 degrees. This 15 degrees bend allows you to move around comfortably.
Should I rest my weight on my armpit?
The top of the crutch should never be in contact with the underarm as this can cause nerve damage in the arms. The weight of the body on the underarm can cause serious nerve damage.
It is not the contact that causes the problem but it is the resting of your body weight on the underarm is the problem.
It is important that you shorten the crutch enough so that the top of the crutch is not in contact with the underarm. The perfect distance between the underarm and the top of the crutch should be about two inches.
Putting weight on the underarm will cause axillary nerve damage. Putting pressure on the nerve for long periods can cause permanent nerve damage.
Signs of nerve damage
Some signs to look out for that may indicate some nerve damage or the starting thereof is that you may experience numbness, tingling, or temporary paralysis in your arms. All of these problems are caused by improper use of the crutch. It is for this reason that you must learn how to use the crutch properly.
How to stop crutches from hurting your underarm?
The easiest way to crutches from hurting your underarm is to stop resting your armpits on your crutches. When you walk with your crutch remember to put most of your body weight on your hand and never your underarm.
Another great tip is to always keep your elbows slightly bent. This acts as a shock absorber and prevents you from damaging your axillary nerve. Try not to bend your wrists. A straight wrist prevents them from developing problems and add to your pain. It is important for you to note that using the crutches properly can prevent pain and nerve damage.
Conclusion
Hope the information provided is useful. Remember that the information provided on how to make crutches more comfortable is not medical advice. Always seek information from your medical team. They are specifically trained and are acquainted with your medical situation and can advise you on such information.
I’d like to carefully advise anybody utilizing crutches that the top of the crutch should not contact the underarm, this can trigger nerve damage in the arms due to the fact that of the pressure of the weight of your body as you are utilizing the crutches. Instead, pad the hand-grips.
The most significant factor is that individuals know that the top of the crutch ought to be below the underarm by a minimum of 2 inches.
The most important length to consider is the length from the handgrips of the crutch downward to the floor. While measuring, stand straight, with your hands in position as if you are holding the crutch with your forearms straight and elbows locked.
In order to get the perfect fit, adjust the hand-grip upward or downward until you can support your body weight on your palms without having the top of the crutches touch your armpit. Remember, no one wants nerve damage.
I love the information that you provide. Thanks for writing such an informative article. Keep up the good work
How I made my crutch comfortable for me to use? With a little padding.
I read your article and do agree that crutches do not offer much in the way of cushioning. So learning how to cushion my crutch was one of the best things that I figured out. I wondered where to start when it comes to making these crutches more comfortable for my underarm and wrists.
Armpit pain? You don’t have to look far to find some good padding to make your underarm more comfortable. The easiest way to add comfort is cushioning. If you are a DIY ninja, cushioning simply involves some old towels or socks to wrap around the skinny padding of the crutch. Then, of course, you use a bit of duct tape to fasten it securely.
As a matter of fact, you can use any cloth material as cushioning, as long as it will provide extra padded comfort and make your crutches more comfortable when in use.
The procedure in making your crutches comfortable is quite simple, fold the towel, sock or other material so it is a little wider than the top of the crutch. Wrap the fabric around the top of the crutch and secure it with a fastener so that it does not loosen.
A word of caution, make sure your padding does not loosen while the crutch is in use. If your padding loosens, you risk injury to the nerve under your arm and that may cause additional discomfort. No one wants to numb or tingly feeling underarm. I believe they say it is the start of nerve damage.
Instead of just wrapping the crutch, Adding padding underneath the crutch cushion is another option. Padding can be stuffed under your existing cushion in order to make the crutch more comfortable if you do not want to buy proper cushion.
If your crutch cushion will not allow additional padding or if your fabric cushion keeps shifting, consider investing in crutch pads or a crutch alternative. I see some amazing and cheap crutch pad and crutch alternative on Amazon. Nice article though. I got some useful information from it. Thanks