Document Type : Review Articles

Authors

• Mohammad Taghi Karimi ¹
• Mostafa Kamali Ardakani ²

¹ Assistant Professor, Academic Member, Department of Orthotics and Prosthetics, School of Rehabilitation, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

² Msc Student, Department of Orthotics and Prosthetics, School of Rehabilitation, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

Abstract

Introduction: The number of subjects using ambulatory assistive devices during standing and walking is increasing. Various kinds of walkers and crutches have been designed to improve the performance of subjects. However, they have been prescribed based on some criteria which have not been tested clinically. Moreover, it is not clear what the difference between crutch and walker is which type of crutch is suitable; and also there is any difference between the new and traditional designs of walker and crutch. Therefore, the aim of this review is to answer to the above mentioned questions. Materials and Methods: An electrical search was performed in PubMed, ISI web of science, Embase, and Google scholar from 1960 to 2012.The abstract and title of papers were evaluated based on selected criteria. The quality of the papers was evaluated based on Black and Down tool. Results: Nearly twenty four papers have been selected for find analysis. The quality of most of studies was poor. Many researches were done on normal subjects. Moreover, only some parameters like force applied on leg during walking and energy consumption were evaluated. The available evidence is not enough to distinguish between the performance of the crutch and walker. Conclusion: Based on the available research studies, the difference between various types of walkers, crutch and advantage of walker upon crutch is not cleared. The influence of crutch and walker length on the performance of subjects is controversial. Moreover, the sample size was not large enough to have a strong conclusion. Therefore, it is recommended to do a good research study with an acceptable sample size to test the various kinds of crutch and walker on the handicapped subjects. Keywords: Crutch, Walker, Spinal cord injury, Cerebral palsy, Paraplegia