Mobility aids

PRESENTERS:-
N.CHAITANYA SAHITHI
N.PUSHPA
MODERATOR:-
SHANTHI MAM
Introduction
 Mobility is body’s ability to move or to be moved
 Mobility aids are nothing but the appliances or
devices which are useful for the mobility as well as
stability purpose of an individual who cannot walk
independently without any support
Purpose of mobility aids
 Increase the area of support or base of support
 Maintains the centre of gravity over supported area
 Redistribute weight bearing area by decreasing the force on
injured Part/limb
 Can be compensate for weak muscles
 Decreases the pain
 Improves balance
 Improves proprioception
Selection
 Stability of the patient
 Strength of upper and lower limbs
 Coordination of upper and lower limbs
 Required degree of relief from weight
bearing
Types of mobility aids
 Parallel bars
 Crutches
 Canes
 Walkers
 Wheelchairs
 Braces and splints
 Prosthetic devices
Parallel bars
 These are rigid made of wood or metal
 Support the patients through the length of the bar
 Enables the patient to concentrate on the lower limbs
 A fulllength mirror is placed at one end for visual
proprioception
 Height of the bar should be at the level of greater trochanter
 Elbow flexed to 25-30°& hands should keep on bar 6 inch
infront of patient
Uses of parallel bars
 Helps in gait training and posture correction
 Provides maximal stability, support & Safety
 Helps
in regaining their strength, balance,
ROM, independence
 Alsoused in coordination exercises,task
oriented exercises for neurological patients
Crutches
 Crutches are mostly used to relieve weight bearing
in the one or both the lower extremities
 Three types of crutches

• Axillary crutches
• Elbow crutches
• Gutter crutches
Axillary crutch
 Madeof aluminium,steel materials and sometimes
by wood
 Providesmaximum stability & support to patient
than any other crutches
 Gives more than 80% of stability

Parts of axillary crutch

• Axillary pad
• Handgrip
• Rubber ferrule
Axillary pad:-
It is situated in the top portion of the crutch & be placed
5cm below the axilla, if not pad compress in the axilla cause
neuropraxia of axillary nerve, radial nerve, or brachial
plexus.
 Axillary pad is made up of metal and is covered by the
cushion materials to avoid the damage to the lateral aspect
of the chest wall.
 The axillary pad is placed laterally to provide lateral
stability.
Hand grip
 Itis made up of plastic material, and sometimes
covered by cushion material
 Hand grip normally comes around the greater
trochantric area of the person using it.
 Ithas the adjustable screws or clips to adjust the
height.
 Some crutches have the adjustable hand grip
buttons.
Rubber ferrule
 Itis situated in the lower end of the
crutch.
 This rubber tip provides more grip
for the patient while walking in the
normal/slippery surface.
Crutch measurement
 Crutch should be measured perfectly because,
lengthier crutch may cause compression over the
axilla, which leads to neuropraxia.
 Sometimes if it is small, the patients’s gait pattern
may change or it may cause some other
complication like back ache
Measurement
 Shoes off
• Lying
• Standing
 Shoes on
• Lying
• standing
 Shoes off
 Supine lying:- has to be measured from
the apex of the axilla to the medial
malleolus. This is the accurate
measurement
 Standing:- 2 inches below the axilla to
the 2 inches lateral and 6 inches anterior
to the foot when the patient is standing
 Shoes on
 Supine lying:- this type of measurement is
taken with the patient wearing shoes. The
measurement taken from 5 cm below the
apex of axilla to the 20 cm lateral to the
heel of the shoe. This is not accurate
method of measuring crutch length
 Standing:- same like shoes off method
taken in standing position
 Handgrip measurement
 Themeasurement taken from the 5 cm below the
apex of the axilla to the ulnar styloid process in the
elbow in 20° – 30° flexed position

Weight transmission
Elbow is extended and the weight is
transmitted to the handpiece so that the
pressure over axilla is reduced
Elbow crutch
 Itgives less stability (60%) than the
axillary crutch.
 Elbow crutches are recommended to
the patient with minimal instability in
walking.
 Itis made up of aluminium, metal, or
plastic.
Parts of elbow crutch

 Fore arm cuff

 Single upright
 Handpiece
 Rubber ferrule
 Fore arm cuff:- It is made up of metals and is coated by
plastic or cushion materials, placed just below the elbow
joint.
 Single upright:- It has proximal and distal adjustable press
clips.
Proximal one to adjust the height of the fore arm cuff
and the distal one to adjust the height of the crutches.
 Hand piece:- It is present between the proximal and distal
adjustable clips, and it comes around the greater
trochanteric region of the person using it.
 Rubber ferrule:- It is situated in the lower end of the
crutch.
This rubber tip provides more grip for the patient while
walking in the normal/slippery surface.
Crutch measurement
 Themeasurement taken from the ulnar styloid
process with the elbow in 20° - 30° flexion to the
20 cm lateral to the heel or the heel of the shoe

Weight transmission
 Same like axillary crutch weight is transmitted to
th handpiece when the elbow is extended
Gutter crutch
 Itis similar to the elbow crutch, having
extra with a padded
forearm support.
 These are mainly used for rheumatoid
hand or fracture of wrist/hand, who
require some form of support but cannot
take weight through hands, wrist, elbows
because of deformity or pain.
Parts of gutter crutch
 Fore arm supporting pad with strap
 Single upright
 Hand piece
 Rubber ferrule

Measurement
Lying:- the measurement taken from the point
of flexed elbow to 20 cm lateral to the heel
(shoes on) Standing:- the measurement taken
from the elbow to the floor
Crutch muscles

 Shoulder:- depressors,extensors, adductors

 Elbow:-extensors
 Wrist:-extensors
 Finger:-flexors
 Hip:-extensors, adductors
 Knee:-extensors
 Ankle:-plantar flexors
 Toe:- flexors
Canes
Cane is a hand held ambulation device made of
wood & aluminium
Useful for increasing base of support & balance

Types of canes
1. standard canes
2. Standard adjustable canes
3. Standard adjustable offset canes
4. Tripod canes
5. Quadrped canes
 Standard canes
 Made of aluminium, wood and plastic
 Has curved/ halfcircled handpiece
 It is not a height adjustable one
 Inexpensive & carried anywhere
 Recommended for elderly people
Standard adjustable canes
 Also made of aluminium & may be having
plastic covering
 Has curved/half circled handpiece
 Has height adjustable press clips
 Easy to carry anywhere
Adjustable aluminium offset canes

 Upperhalf of the cane is offset anteriorly so that

the LOG falls on the cane & It gives stability
 May be available in standard or adjustable canes
 Commonly all the sticks are having the
handpiece and the rubber ferrule except the
wooden made standard canes
 Thehandpiece comes up to the greater
trochantic level for the person using it
Quadripod & tripod canes
 Ithas 4 or 3 leg with the rubber tip and it
gives the broader base
 Base of support of this cane is huge
 Sometimes the upper portion of cane is
offset anteriorly
 More useful for neurological cases like
hemiplegia & who had injury to lower
limb(elders)
 Difficulty to carry the cane in staircase
Walkers
 Walkers are useful in non-weight bearing, partial
weight bearing, and full weight bearing gait pattern.
 it gives more stability as it has boarder base.
 Since the COG falls within the BOS, it gives anterior
as well as lateral stability.
 The walker is having is having two anterior and two
lateral bars, the horizontal bar connects all the vertical
bars in the three sides, and one side is kept open.
Types of walkers

 Rigid walking frame

 Foldable walker
 Gutter walker
 Reciprocal walker
 rollator
 Rigid walker
 It is un foldable
 Consists four almost vertical aluminum
tubes joined on three sides by upper
and lower horizontal tubes
 One side is left open
 Hand grips present on upper horizontal
tube
 Rubber tubes present at lower ends of
vertical tubes
Foldable walker
 Ithas all the feature of rigid
walker, except the folding
nature.
 Itcan be easily foldable and can
be kept aside.
 It is also easy to carry while
travelling
Gutter walker

 Itis also having the entire feature like rigid

walker and additionally it has the fore arm
platform instead of hand grip
 Itis more helpful for the patient who has
the problem over the wrist(RA, wrist
fracture, or hand injuries)
Reciprocal walker
 This
is designed to allow unilateral forward
movement of one side of the walker
 Thesetype of walkers are useful for the patients who
cannot lift and walk with the walker
 There will be swivel joints present between the
vertical and horizontal bars
 One side of walker moved forward with opposite leg
following it and the other side of walker with the
another leg
 So alternative ly each side of walker moves Forward
Rollator
 The anterior vertical bars having the caster and the
lateral bars remains same as in rigid walker.
 While walking the patient has to lift the rear bars
off the ground and the wheels move forward and
ends with the rear bar placing on the ground.
 Some walkers have the wheel for each leg
 Care should be taken for elderly patients
 Commonly recommended for the children
Wheel chair
 This is one of the variety of mobility aids
 The patient who has both the lower limbs non functioning or
partially functioning has to be recommended for the wheel
chair
 Itis the secondary house for the patient, because he has to
spend more time with
 It may be modified depending on the condition of the patient
 It gives 100% stability to the patient
 Conditions applied are paraplegic, quadriplegic, muscular
Parts of wheel chair
 Types of wheel chairs
1. Rigid
2. Foldable
3. One arm driven wheelchair
4. Powered wheelchair
 The rigid wheel chairs are having the solid frame
and also it is lighter .It is difficult to carry while
traveling
 Foldable wheel chair contains foldable frames and
it occupies less space,so it is very easy to carry
while traveling
 One arm driven wheel chair is used for the
pati those who are not able to use their one side
upper limb mainly in hemiplegia.
It has two hand rims in one side, one control
the opposite side wheel, if both rings are
simultaneously used the wheel chair propels in
straight line
 Powered wheelchair are the sophisticated one
and are more used in developed countries like
us,uk & European countries.
It can be steered, propelled,adjust the seat
hand rest,back rest by the power control