If you’ve ever used crutches, you’ll understand just how difficult it can be on your upper body. You’re taking all the weight that your much stronger legs usually have to carry, and forcing that pressure on your upper arms, torso, back, and armpits. It’s a big change, especially when you first start out on crutches. One way to ease the pain and pressure is to purchase crutch arm pads. Here are some of the reasons as to why this may be a good option for you.
Armpit Pressure Relief
The greatest pain on your body if you’re accustomed to leaning on your crutches is the pain in your underarms. Most people tend to relax on those top crutch pads, but that’s not what they are made for and are actually quite rough with a lot of friction. As you walk, it slightly pulls on your skin, and over time this can create quite an impressive bruise. Underarms also take a long time to heal back up and if hurt they will make walking on crutches agonizing. Instead, you can purchase specialized crutch pads from the start that are designed to support your weight and won’t hurt your armpits. They relieve a lot of pressure and will feel much more comfortable.
Balancing
Another advantage to using specialized crutch pads is that they will help you balance. If you tend to put more weight on one side than the other, than having some extra support could really be useful. It’s quite common for people to lean to one side or the other because they only have one injured leg, which is in a different position than the other. That means that they will put more weight on the side with the injured leg, and having proper crutch padding can make it much easier to balance when walking like this.
Fit Better
Although crutches are made to fit just about anyone, the padding comes in one size and doesn’t always work for everyone. Crutch arms pads make a lot of contact with your skin and should fit you perfectly, and so replacing the rough single sized ones can make your crutches feel like a more comfortable fit. In turn, this will make it easier to walk and you’ll have less risk of falling. You will actually feel comfortable in crutches instead of having to beare with them.
Conclusion
Crutch arm pads are actually pretty cheap and easy to use. They simply slip over your old pads, adding a layer of comfort that wasn’t previously available. It takes only a couple of minutes to put them on and then you’re off! For just a couple bucks you can end up saving yourself from weeks of pain.