584 chapter 63
Crutches
MEASUREMENTS FOR UNDERARM CRUTCH
Top of crutch
should be 3
fingers’ width
below armpit,
so it does not
press under
the arms.
Elbow should
be bent a
little so that
arms can lift
body when
walking.
RIGHT
WRONG
WARNING: Bearing
weight under the
arms like this can
cause nerve damage
that in time can
lead to numbness
and even paralysis
of the hands.
Handgrip
should be
placed for
comfort—
usually about
1/3 of the way
down crutch.
wrist
drop from
crutch
pressure
RIGHT
Teach the child
to put weight on
her hands, not
on her armpits.
full
weight
on
hands
One good way to
make sure the
child does not
hang on the
crutches with
her ampits is
to use elbow
crutches
like this.
There are many designs for underarm crutches. Here we show a few.
CRUTCHES FROM TREE BRANCHES, padded with wild kapok
These single
support designs
using tree
branches are
not as strong
as the double
support design
shown at left.
Disabled village Children