Talk:Crutch

Crutches
Crutches were also used in ECW alot, so they are also a weapon. Whopper 00:16, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

Really? I was unaware of their role in the English Civil War.

The entry for 'Strutters' claims advantages over traditional crutches and that the design has been unchanged since the 19thC, both points which clearly apply to underarm/axillary crutches only, not to forearm crutches. The point relating to upper-leg atrophy for 'knee support crutches' seems heavily dependent on the type of injury/disability and gait pattern of the user, for instance they would be useless to someone with an above knee injury/disability. I'd recommend reordering the list by frequency of use, which would give forearm, underarm, (the rest). DWG 4-Jun-2006

I enjoyed that second comment up there. Also it seems as if strutters has been strategically placed as an advertisement. I mean they should be in there, but not read like some sales pitch. Youknowthatoneguy 10:22, 2 September 2006 (UTC)

Advertising
The External Links for Strutter Use and Types of Crutches are both just advertisements, not factual resources. It seems to me that they don't belong here.

A quick web search turned up a lot more advertising, and then this: Crutches which provides some but not all of the same information as the article.

I would be inclined to just remove those two External Links. Being a newbie I hesitate to do that without first mentioning it here. Any objections?

--Sylvia A 01:09, 20 March 2007 (UTC)


 * Be bold in removing inappropriate links and replacing them with higher-quality references. If someone disagrees and reverts your change, you can discuss it here. The cycle of bold edit, reversion, discussion is a common pattern here. --Damian Yerrick (talk | stalk) 03:06, 23 March 2007 (UTC)


 * The first link returned a 404 error, and the second link was spam. I deleted them. 71.40.2.82 18:27, 18 July 2007 (UTC)

Slang
I removed the following from the slang section:
 * The term, crutch, is also used in slang terminology to mean, "Something that is not fashionable or reliable." Example: Those shoes are so crutch.  When are you gonna buy some new ones?  The term relates to the term, "Lame" which contains a similar if not identical slang meaning.

After searching on google and usenet for phrases such as "is crutch" "so crutch" "very crutch" "totally crutch" "that's crutch" I couldn't find ANY relevant results. Well, unless you count Merriam Webster's Open Dictionary, which contains the same example sentence, word for word. From looking at the dates on the pages, someone presumably saw it there and then copied it here about two weeks later, without verifying it (it's not the same person). If anyone's using this at all, it probably hasn't extended beyond a group of friends, specific school, etc and isn't notable enough to mention here or in wiktionary (where it wasn't added at all). 75.36.128.21 21:28, 2 June 2007 (UTC)

If anything, we should be saying "a crutch" is also a metaphor meaning "something you rely on to get by".—Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.73.70.113 (talk) 00:01, 15 August 2010 (UTC)

Underarm Crutches
Properly used, underarm crutches do not redirect the body's weight to the underarms, but to various arm and shoulder muscles. The "armpit pads" should rest against the rib cage, not the armpits themselves. Article altered slightly to reflect this, in addition to some regular copyediting and cleanup. --Ninly (talk) 17:56, 28 January 2008 (UTC)

From My training ... there are only 4 types of crutches
I do not feel I am at liberty to alter the parent article on this subject. But it does need to be re-edited. I leave these notes for some one else to include to that article.

1) Strut or Bow Crutches: where the height reaches the under arm. These can be wood or metal.

2) Sister Kenny Crutches: where rather than having a under arm point the crutch has a Leather loop that is positioned ABOVE the elbow

3) Canadian Crutches: where rather than having a under arm point the crutch has a Leather loop that is positioned BELOW the elbow

4) Laughstrand Crutches: metal crutches where there is a partial loop of metal BELOW the elbow. The term is pronounced with emphasis on the 'u' with a silent 'a'

Respectfully Submitted,

Peter Kelley St. Paul, MN —Preceding unsigned comment added by MstrPBK (talk • contribs) 17:48, 12 March 2009 (UTC)

There are clearly more than four kinds of crutch in contemporary use, I count eight different design concepts (in multiple variations) at http://www.fetterman-crutches.com/showcase.html not counting at least four more that Fettermans don't carry. DWG —Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.96.255.55 (talk) 00:56, 21 March 2010 (UTC)

I would add in a new crutch which was presented in Popular Science recently which is a major innovation to the common crutch form. http://www.mobilegs.com — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.72.73.70 (talk • contribs) 01:39, 23 January 2011 (UTC) I'm Canadian and on crutches and I've never heard of Canadian crutches. Here we use underarm crutches almost exclusively. Forearm crutches I see occasionally for people with more permanent disabilities - though I noticed in Europe these are more common. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.30.159.102 (talk) 13:36, 3 October 2014 (UTC)

What about knee crutches?
What about knee crutches? I think the I walk free should be mentioned here alongside the oneCrutch. It's a similar design. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 89.100.38.132 (talk) 20:53, 3 March 2010 (UTC)

There are now multiple designs of 'crutches' based on the idea of transferring the load from the ground to the upper leg. I've changed the existing reference to a more generic one independent of any design and pointing out their limitations to lower leg problems only. DWG 77.96.255.55 (talk) 01:54, 21 March 2010 (UTC)

Remember Disabled Users!
I noticed that the more recent changes to the article had changed most references to 'patients' and 'injured leg(s)'. I've changed most of those to the more generic 'user' and 'affected leg(s)'. Please remember when editing that many disabled crutch users (like me!) have not been 'patients' in decades and don't have any active 'injuries'. It's relatively easy to keep the article relevant to both user communities if you just bear it in mind. DWG 77.96.255.55 (talk) 01:54, 21 March 2010 (UTC)

Addition of new product section / descriptions of products available on market
I suggest adding a new sub-heading to display different types of crutches/canes that might be useful. I added the Strongarm cane section under "patents" because of an article i read in Arthritis Today magazine (article does not appear in the online version). There are many other innovative types of forearm crutches on the market today and I believe this page can be expanded to inform people of the different models or forearm crutches available.

Please expand under this if you feel that we can collectively create a new section for variations of Crutches/Canes.

Tjweber (talk) 19:16, 17 June 2010 (UTC)

History
No pictures of historical crutches? I bet they were like small ladders with a rung under the armpit and one to hold with the hand. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.73.70.113 (talk) 00:01, 15 August 2010 (UTC)

This page could greatly benefit from a section on History: where and when and how were assistive devices used centuries ago? Martindo (talk) 00:37, 21 July 2017 (UTC)

Underarm vs. forearm
Underarm gives more freedom of movement. With the underarm crutches you cant really lift up the crutch in the same way, because it will hit against armpit. Imagine using underarm crutches, the feet of the crutches are parallel to your functional leg which the weight is on. You then start falling over to the front. If you want to move the crutches in front of you it is hard. Well not if you are quick, but if you are already falling, you can't really move them in front to stop you from falling. With the underarm crutches you can easily do that. Sincerely, The Master Crutcheteer. 85.97.21.117 (talk) 23:34, 29 May 2012 (UTC)

Underarm vs. forearm by country
I have realized that there is a difference by country. In parts of Europe (at least Denmark, Germany and France) forearm crutches are always used. In these countries underarm crutches have an image of being smth from WW2 or from a developing country. Even for a broken foot, forearm crutches are always used. I have never seen a pair of underarm crutches in my home country exept on tv. I am currently living abroad and have realized that in other countries (at least Turkey and USA) underarm crutches are _always_ used for a broken foot, and forearm crutches are used more like a cane for people with balance problems, overweight, people with leg pains, weak leg muscles, i.e. people who can put weight on both feet. 85.97.52.242 (talk) 07:24, 17 June 2012 (UTC)

Correct section?
Should the reference to walking sticks and canes in the Types section be moved to the Alternative devices section? Shrillpicc100 (talk) 00:55, 21 February 2014 (UTC)
 * I'm reading the reference to walking sticks and canes as an explanation of why they are not quite the same as crutches, which is better in its current location. --Mirokado (talk) 01:02, 21 February 2014 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the. —Community Tech bot (talk) 20:51, 19 July 2019 (UTC)
 * Axillary (underarm) crutches.JPG