children's crutches

[interstellar]

Hi, just wondered if anyone here had any advice to offer me.My son has a hip condition and he needs to sometimes use crutches to prevent weight bearing- are elbow or axillary crutches best for prolonged use,which are more comfy? Thanks, i appreciate any opinions offered!

interstellar - hopefully a knowlegable MN-er will have some relevant experience, but in addition, have you ever used the STEPS website for parents of children with lower limb conditions? It has quite a busy 'hips' discussion forum.

DS will be using crutches for 6 months later this year, so i will watch this with interest - didn't know there were different kinds.

Interstellar - how old is your ds? - my dd has been on crutches on and off over the last 2 years (ortho surgery) and found the elbow ones most comfortable although her hands did get a bit sore. She was 12 though when she first used them - not sure about younger children.

Oh ,thanks so much for yr replies, i am now going to look up the Steps site- really thank you! My son is 9 , we are having to limit his moving about and activeness at the moment , it's so hard with a child of this age tho,he also gets rather angry and depressed i suppose,there are lots of children far far worse off,but , when you are 9 thats not much comfort!!!Also,hard when they are in pain and feeling sorry for themselves, i fear i do not have the patience of a saint!!!

Oh and SMBK i have just shown my ds yr gorgeous daughter's photo ,just to cheer him up!!!

With the elbow ones you can let go and use the hand without actually putting down the crutch IYSWIM. Whe opening a door for instance. It is very frustrating for them when they can't get about. Sympathy.

Oh - thank you

I dont think you can get axillary crutches any more, as they can cause nerve problems if you lean on them too much.

Saggar, re the sore hands thing, you can get "comfy" hand grips, which are shaped to spread the load a bit. I usually try to order them when i get them for my patients (Im a paed physio). But you'd probably have to ask for them, because if you get them "off the shelf" most hospitals only keep the standard ones.

I had to use elbow crutches a couple of years ago, and I ended up with numb hands from them. when I asked tmy local physio dept what i could do they said dont use them so much - - i worry about my profession sometimes!

I ended up padding the handles, but this is not recommended as you can slip, and I def wouldnt suggest doing that for childrens crutches.

Interstellar, hope this helps.

If anybody gets asked what kind of hand grips by their physio, tell them they are shaped like Fischer stick handles.

Thanks for that Fusby. I'm hoping we've seen the last of the crutches. dd had a leg length discrepancy but is all level now

Yes,thanks for the extra info.Now just have to work on his mental acceptance of things,he wants everything to be normal again(his words)and is worried he will lose his friends now that he can't run and jump about......Sometimes it's hard to be a 9yr old boy!