How to Make Crutches Not Slip

Crutches provide mobility to people with an injured leg or foot. While the purpose of crutches is to aid a person's ability to walk, it can be difficult getting used to maneuvering around on crutches. The first step in practicing proper technique on crutches is ensure they are well-fitting and will not slip out from underneath you or cause you to fall. Once your crutches are stabilized for your use, you can practice maintaining your balance while using crutches.

Things You'll Need

• Crutches
• Hand towels
• Ribbon
• Rubber crutch tip ends

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Instructions

• 1

  Measure the correct height of your crutches. For a proper fit, the top arm bar of each crutch should rest in the middle, or a two-finger width, of your armpit. It is essential that your shoulders are relaxed while you are taking this measurement. Let your arm hang straight down along your side. The hand bar of each crutch should be at your wrist.

• 2

  Adjust your crutches to fit your height requirement. Most adjustable crutches allow you to set the height by using the egg or pin holes along the lower leg portion of the crutch. Push the pin back into the hole. Twist the leg of the crutch so the nodule remains pushed into the crutch leg. When you reach the setting that meets your height, twist the leg of the crutch back so the pin comes back through the hole to lock the crutch into place.

• 3

  Set the hand bar by unscrewing the butterfly nut that holds the bar in place on each side of the crutch. The butterfly nut is on the crutch's edge where the hand bar connects to the each side of the crutch posts. When the hand bar is removed, find the setting that will allow the hand bar to meet your wrist while you are standing with your arm hanging at your side. Screw the butterfly nut back in to hold the hand bar in place.

• 4

  Wrap hand towels around the top bar and hand bar of your crutches. Secure the towels by tying them tightly with ribbon. The hand towels will provide extra cushioning and ease potential tension on your armpit areas and hands. The extra padding can help you get a firmer grip on your crutch to avoid slipping.

• 5

  Replace the regular crutch tips with large rubber crutch tip ends. With a harder plastic end, the crutch will have more grip as you are walking. Crutch tip ends are available at retail pharmacies or medical equipment wholesalers.

• 6

  Take small steps on dry surfaces when walking with your crutches. If possible, avoid slippery surfaces such as granite, slate, marble and ice. Take elevators instead of attempting to go up or down stairs with your crutches.