Guides
Crutch guides
Browse by what you need: learn the technique, find picks for your situation, compare types, or sort out coverage. Each guide ends with our current top picks.
Getting started & how-to
Fit, walk, take stairs, and the technique that keeps you safe.
How to Use Underarm Crutches: A Beginner's Guide
How to use underarm crutches safely: keep your weight on the hand grips, not your armpits, with the basic gait, pad position, and sit-to-stand steps.
Read the guide →How to Fit and Size Underarm Crutches Correctly
How to fit underarm crutches: set the pad about 2 inches below your armpit and the grip at hip level with a 15-30 degree elbow bend. Sizing steps inside.
Read the guide →How to Walk With Crutches: Gait, Turns, and Curbs
How to walk with crutches: swing-to, swing-through, and three-point gaits, surfaces and pace, forearm crutch technique, turning safely, handling curbs, and common mistakes to avoid.
Read the guide →Exercises On Crutches: What You Can Actually Do
A complete guide to training while you're on crutches: seated and floor exercises, cardio without legs, grip work, and the line between what you can train and what belongs to your care team.
Read the guide →How to Stop Armpit Pain From Crutches
Armpit pain from crutches comes from leaning on the underarm pads. Adjust the height and push through your hands. 5 fixes that work.
Read the guide →How to Size and Adjust Forearm Crutches Correctly
How to set forearm crutch handle height and cuff position correctly — the two measurements that determine fit, with a simple at-home method.
Read the guide →How to Adjust Crutches: Step-by-Step Height Setup Guide
Crutches set to the wrong height are uncomfortable and unstable. Here's how to adjust the height and handgrip on underarm and forearm crutches in about two minutes.
Read the guide →How to Replace Crutch Tips: Standard Size Is 7/8 Inch — Step-by-Step Guide (2026)
7/8 inch fits most underarm crutches. Confirm your size, pull the old tip off, push the new one on — done in under 2 minutes with no tools. Full guide with size chart and replacement schedule.
Read the guide →How to Use Crutches on Stairs (Up, Down, With and Without a Handrail)
The complete technique for climbing and descending stairs on crutches: the rhyme that makes it stick, handrail and no-handrail methods, the sit-and-scoot fallback, safety tips, and when to ask a PT.
Read the guide →How to Walk With Forearm Crutches: Gait and Technique Guide
How to walk with forearm crutches: step-by-step technique for swing-through and four-point gait, cuff fit, and posture habits that keep your wrists neutral under load.
Read the guide →How to Use Crutches: Complete Beginner's Guide (Fit, Walk, Stairs)
New to crutches? Here's how to fit them correctly, stand up, walk, sit down, and take stairs safely, plus how to avoid the sore hands and armpits that trip most people up.
Read the guide →Weight-Bearing Status Explained: NWB, Toe-Touch, Partial & Full
Your weight-bearing status is the rule for how much weight your surgeon allows on the injured leg. Here's what NWB, toe-touch (TTWB), partial (PWB), weight bearing as tolerated (WBAT), and full (FWB) each mean, in plain English.
Read the guide →Non Weight Bearing Crutches: Best Options and Fit Guide
Crutches for non weight bearing recovery -- what NWB means, which forearm and underarm models fit the demand, and how to size for single-leg use.
Read the guide →How to Use One Crutch (Single-Crutch Walking)
Down to a single crutch? Here's which side to hold it on (it's the surprising one), the walking pattern, and how to take stairs with one crutch safely.
Read the guide →Crutch Gait Patterns Explained: Swing-Through, Three-Point, and More
What the crutch gait patterns actually mean: swing-through, swing-to, three-point, two-point, and four-point gaits explained in plain English, with which weight-bearing status each one suits.
Read the guide →By condition & situation
Picks and advice for your injury, body, or long-term need.
Crutches After Surgery: What to Use While You're Non-Weight-Bearing
If you're facing 6 weeks non-weight-bearing after foot or ankle surgery, here's how to pick crutches that won't wreck your hands, armpits, and shoulders.
Read the guide →Best Long-Term Crutches for Everyday Use (2026)
If you are on crutches every day, comfort and durability beat price. What to look for in a daily-driver forearm crutch, and which models hold up over months of use.
Read the guide →Crutches for Elderly Parents: A Caregiver's Guide (2026)
Forearm or underarm for an elderly parent? Here's which suits ongoing use vs. recovery — and the stability features that matter most.
Read the guide →Best Crutches That Won't Hurt Your Hands (2026)
Crutch hand pain comes from grip angle and load concentration. These picks address both: forearm platforms, ergonomic handles, and shock-absorbing posts.
Read the guide →Best Crutches for Tall People: Top Picks for Heights 6'0 and Up
If you're over 5'10", standard crutches run out of adjustment. Here's the exact height band to buy and the forearm and underarm models that reach 6'6"+, with sizing tips and our top-rated picks.
Read the guide →Best Crutches for Kids in 2026: Safe, Properly Sized Options
Find the right pediatric crutches for your child by height — youth (4'6"–5'2") and pediatric (4'0"–4'6") picks, with safety ratings and a parent fitting checklist.
Read the guide →Best Bariatric Crutches: Up to 500 lb Weight Capacity Picks for 2026
Standard aluminum crutches hold 250–350 lb. Here's how to check your weight limit, when to go bariatric, and which steel models reach 500 lb.
Read the guide →Best Crutches for Multiple Sclerosis: Lightweight Forearm Picks
For MS and long-term daily crutch use, weight is the #1 spec — every extra gram per crutch compounds across thousands of steps a day. Scored picks, key criteria, and what to look for.
Read the guide →Best Forearm Crutches for EDS & Hypermobility (2026): Lightweight, Wrist-Neutral Picks
EDS creates specific demands on wrist angle and load path that most standard crutches aren't designed to meet. Here are the forearm crutch picks built for hypermobile grip mechanics, with sizing notes for EDS users.
Read the guide →Crutches After ACL Surgery: How Long, Which Type, and What to Expect Week by Week
ACL recovery crutch needs change week by week. Here's how to navigate the non-weight-bearing phase, when to switch crutch types, and which features matter most for a 2-6 week stretch.
Read the guide →Crutches After a Broken Foot or Ankle: What to Use
A practical guide to getting through weeks of non-weight-bearing after a broken foot or ankle, and which crutches make it less miserable.
Read the guide →Best Crutches for Arthritis (2026): Cushioned, Lightweight Picks
Arthritis shifts the selection criteria: forearm cuffs over palm grips, ergonomic handles, shock absorption, and lighter frames. Picks for rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, key specs, and how to choose.
Read the guide →Best Crutches for Tall People (2026): Tall & Extra-Tall Picks
Many crutches stop at 6'4" or lower. Our top pick for tall people is the In-Motion Pro in its Tall size: the underarm pair fits users 5'10" to 7'1" and the forearm pair 5'3" to 6'8", both rated to 350 lb. Here are the picks and how to check the fit.
Read the guide →Buying & comparisons
Compare crutch types and find the right pair to buy.
Best Crutch Pads for Comfort (Underarm and Hand)
The best crutch pads for comfort are gel or memory-foam underarm covers plus padded hand grips. What to look for and the standard 7/8 inch size.
Read the guide →Knee Scooter vs. Forearm Crutches: Which Is Right for You?
Knee scooters and forearm crutches both keep weight off a healing foot or ankle. Here's how they compare on comfort, mobility, stairs, and cost.
Read the guide →Forearm vs Underarm Crutches: Which Is Right for Your Recovery?
Forearm or underarm crutches: which is right for your recovery? We compare stability, wrist strain, and when forearm crutches are worth the extra cost.
Read the guide →Wood vs. Aluminum Crutches: Which Should You Buy?
Side-by-side on weight, adjustment, weight capacity, noise, and price. Aluminum is the default for most, with one scenario where wood is the right call.
Read the guide →Best Ergonomic Crutches (2026): Ranked by Comfort and Value
The best ergonomic crutches absorb shock and keep your wrist in a neutral position without going premium-tier. Four picks ranked for 2026 — plus when a basic pair is the smarter call.
Read the guide →Crutches vs. Cane: Which Is Right for You?
When a cane is enough, when you need crutches, and how to tell which fits your situation, stability, and recovery stage.
Read the guide →Crutch Alternatives: Hands-Free Devices, Knee Scooters, and More
Crutches aren't the only way to stay mobile while a leg heals. Compare knee scooters, hands-free crutches, canes, and walkers, and which fits your injury and weight-bearing status.
Read the guide →Coverage & cost
Pay with benefits or get crutches covered as DME.
Does VA Cover Crutches? HCPCS E0110 and Veteran Health Care
Forearm crutches (HCPCS E0110) may be reimbursable through VA health care and TRICARE as durable medical equipment with a provider order. How to get crutches through your VA benefit, what the E0110 code means, and what to confirm with your care team.
Read the guide →Are Crutches Usually FSA & HSA Eligible? How to Pay (2026)
Crutches are often FSA and HSA eligible as durable medical equipment. How to confirm with your plan, pay with your benefits card, and what receipt to keep.
Read the guide →More guides
Everything else worth a read.
Free guide
Get our free forearm crutch buyer's guide
The 7 things that actually matter when choosing crutches you’ll use every day, plus our current top picks. Free. Unsubscribe anytime.