What is a knee walker?
A roll about walker is a wheeled walker device that is designed in such a way that it takes weight away from your lower body parts helping you in the recovery process. The device enables you to move around while supporting your injured foot or leg to prevent it from extra injury.
A steerable knee walker is normally used as a substitute for crutches as crutches can lead to further injuries. Besides crutches are not comfortable for many people. A steerable knee walker device is a hand free device when using it and makes your day easier without hassles while offering you some comfort as compared to crutches.
Crutches are commonly used by people who have ankle, foot or lower leg injuries. This is because they are designed in such a way that they remove weight pressure from the injured area making the recovery process at least easier.
How to use a knee scooter?
You will be able to determine how to use the knee scooter while you in a standing position. The injured leg should rest comfortably upon the seat pad. The uninjured leg should remain straight on the floor while the injured leg keeps resting in the middle of the seat pad.
The handlebars should be kept in a straight right angle so that they can be easily reached and used. Besides you can adjust their height to correspond with yours. This can be done by locating the knob that is at the top of the handlebar tube, remove it and then set the right height that corresponds with you. After that, place the knob back in place then tighten it.
You will have to adjust the seat of the knee walker by locating the seat adjustment lever which is located under the seat itself. Hold onto the seat front to raise or lower the height of the seat. You can flip the lever below the seat also you can loosen it whenever needed. To do that, you will have to remove the safety pin which is located under the seat too. After making all these changes, make sure that you double-check to see if the knobs and seat are tightened to be sure that everything is rigid and secure.
When you are done with assembling your knee scooter and you are sure that now it is secure to use, you should take your time and read the user’s manual to learn how to operate it. This will help in preventing you from mistakes that may lead to future injuries. Besides, it will prolong the life of your knee scooter if you use it as directed by the manufacturer.
Before you start turning around your knee scooter, make sure that your uninjured foot, your injured knee as well as your hips are leveled and straightened together with your lower back.
To propel your knee scooter, you will have to use your uninjured leg thus preventing extra injuries and pain to the other injured foot. If it is your first time to use a knee scooter, it might take some time for you to get used to it. Make sure that whenever there is an obstacle in front of you apply the brakes to prevent an accident.
Once you are used to it then you can go on and ride outdoors. The more you use your knee scooter, the more you get used to it thus feeling more comfortable riding and maneuvering it.
Crutch substitute VS Crutch replacement
Normally seated knee walkers are used together with crutches and sometimes are substitutes to crutches. There is a new type of technology known as the KW-100. Recently people use knee walkers as substitutes for the conventional crutches as they are far better, comfortable, and easy to carry and get around with.
Crutches are becoming rare as people are abandoning using them because they seem to be inconvenient, as they are not easy to use and if not careful they can lead to falls and cause you further injuries. Besides some people suffer from other health issues such as arthritis which makes using crutches painful on a normal basis.
Hands-free knee walker
When using crutches, you will not only face health issues but they will destruct and annoy you in every way. Go to the supermarket for shopping with crutches it is likely that you will need someone to help you get around or to help you pick groceries. This is different from a knee scooter as you will be able to move around easily with no need for help as you can propel yourself and reach high grounds to pick anything you want.
You can easily reach higher grocery while on a knee scooter without having to worry about falling. Besides, when you walk for a long distance with crutches you will end up feeling itching under your armpits and you can have bruises and injuries too.
Using a walker after knee surgery
After surgery, you can have a knee walker as a substitute for crutches. Many people prefer using knee walkers because they are more convenient as compared to crutches. Crutches are uncomfortable and unreliable too. You can use a knee scooter even before surgery as soon as you are injured and after you have surgery.
Some of the patients need to have weight-bearing relief that is offered by a walker right before having surgery on the wounds such as ulcers and diabetic wounds as well as Torn Achilles tendon, or in case they are having surgery to the ankle or foot.
Also, a knee walker can be used after surgery to help a patient move from place to place during their healing process. The device will help the patient continue with his/her daily routines while protecting her tender as well as his/her newly operated foot or leg.
When using a knee scooter, you will use your uninjured leg to propel your scooter forward. When it comes to crutches your arms will carry most of your body weight which makes you feel uncomfortable. It is far better your health leg to propel the scooter than your entire body pressing on crutches.
Although propelling knee scooters offer more comfort as compared to crutches, that does not mean that you will not get exhausted. The scooter will allow you to be able to rest your body as well as offering you more stamina while you are on the move.
Leg Injury
The best part of using a knee scooter is that it still offers you an opportunity to continue doing some of your daily routines while recovering from your leg/knee injury. If you had a leg injury, it is better if you use a knee scooter rather than crutches as it will provide you with extra support and prevent your injured leg from any potential stress.
Using a knee walker as mobility for an ankle injury
An ankle injury is not different from a leg injury as the affected foot has to be taken care of during the healing process. Normally people use crutches when they have ankle or leg injuries but there are substitutes that a person can use for mobility.
The crutch substitutes include knee walkers which are more comfortable than crutches as you will not have to use extra muscles to carry your body weight. A knee scooter offers a weight-bearing relief that is essential in case you are having an ankle injury.
Using a knee walker as a mobility aid after a foot injury
In case you had a foot injury then you should always be careful to prevent any weight pressure upon the injured feet as it might compromise the healing process. You can do this by using crutches as your mobility aid while you are in the recovery process. The problem is that crutches are not comfortable to use and sometimes are annoying and hard to maneuver.
Knee scooters are becoming common as many people are finding them to be the best alternative to crutches. These wheeled knee walkers are taking over crutches as people find them to be more comfortable and offering more support than crutches.
Using a knee scooter after a bicycle or car accident
If you had a bicycle or car accident you may have experienced injuries to your lower part of the body which will make it hard for you to walk or move from place to place. You will have to take a look into getting a knee walker or scooter which will offer you freedom as well as independence to do what you always do during your recovery process. Besides the device can also be used by people after fracture or surgery.
Knee scooters for elderly people
Depending on their physical conditions elderly people can use knee scooters for a short or long time. Those who have issues with weight pressure upon their lower they should use wheeled walkers while knee caddy can help them to balance out their body weight with no risk of further injuries.
A doctor or physician who will assess the senior’s injury will be responsible for prescribing or recommending of what an elder should or should not do upon the injured leg during the recovery process. This might include not to put any weight over the injured leg or foot. If the senior has mobility issues, then a roscoe knee walker can help him/her to move indoor or outdoor easily.
In case you cannot afford to buy a wheeled walker for your elderly, then crutches can help him/her to walk from one place to another.
Knee walker usage for seniors
This type of device works for the majority of elderly people but some find it difficult to use it due to their health issues. To use a knee walker a senior should have proper balance, vision, and strength to handle it effectively to prevent further injury.
Prevent Further injury
In case you had surgery or injury in your lower body, getting a knee scooter is essential as it will help you move easily indoors and outdoors. Knee walkers are exceptional as they are known for preventing further injuries. Besides knee walkers offer weight-bearing relief compared to crutches.
Reach higher when using a knee scooter
When you are using a knee scooter you will be able to reach on higher grounds as it offers support when you want to grab items that are on high racks. Also using wheel walkers will enable you to propel forward while making sure that your injured knee or ankle is preserved to heal faster and prevent any further injury.
What you should know is that mobility knee walkers offer support that will enable users to reach higher grounds as well as be able to reach places that they could not reach using crutches.
You will be able to easily get in the shower using a knee walker
Many people face difficulties in getting in and out of the shower as they usually get injured. A wheeled knee scooter will offer you the ability to easily get in the shower do what you want to do as you can use it for support.
Turning knee scooter
Normally a steerable knee scooter comes with a handlebar that can be used to control or steer the device. You can freely turn left and right as well as tilt the handle tube placing it at an angle for better comfort.
Maintenance – adjusting the brake tension
You can adjust brakes on the knee wheel scooter in case you have a feeling that the handle push is too loose or too tight. You can do this by locating the adjusting wash that is at the end of the brake cable just above the wheels. Then you can tighten or loosen it depending on what you desire to accomplish.
Characteristics of most knee walkers
- Durable, foldable, and lightweight frame
- Wheels on the knee walker
- Seat
- Tires
- Levers
- Kneel pad
- Steering
- Basket
- Brakes
Knee walker price tags
Roll about knee scooters are available for sale through distributors as well as online stores such as Amazon. The KW-100 model knee walker is sold at a reasonable price and is available online in almost all online distributors.
Knee scooter cost between $100 to $400 depending on its features, quality and the store you purchase from.
There are many stores and companies available locally and online that offer rental services of different types and models of knee walkers. These help people who are having limited budgets yet in need of having these devices to rent them. Besides they are those people who just need the device for a short time like one or two weeks so buying is not necessary. Injured people and those from surgery prefer to go for crutch substitutes or knee caddy as they are far better than crutches. You can buy one if you need it for a long time or you can rent it whereas you will have to ship it back after your recovery.