Crutches That Don't Hurt Your Hands, Wrists, or Armpits

If your crutches are tearing up your hands or armpits, you’re not doing it wrong, the crutches are. The pair most people get sent home with is designed to be cheap and one-size-fits-most, not comfortable past the first week. Here’s what causes the pain and how to stop it.

Why standard crutches hurt

• Armpit (axillary) crutches press on a nerve bundle. Leaning your weight into the underarm pad compresses the nerves and blood vessels that run through your armpit. Do it for weeks and you can get soreness, tingling, or numbness down the arm (“crutch palsy”).
• Hard, flat grips concentrate pressure on your palm. A straight handle forces your wrist into a bent, weight-bearing position, exactly the setup that causes wrist and hand pain over time.
• No shock absorption. Every step sends impact straight up through your hands and shoulders.

What actually fixes it

• Switch to forearm crutches. They move the load off your armpits and onto your forearms and hands, and let you release your grip without dropping them. For anyone using crutches more than a week or two, this alone is the biggest upgrade.
• Look for an ergonomic, angled handle. A handle angled around 24° keeps your wrist closer to neutral and spreads pressure across your whole palm instead of one spot.
• Get shock absorption. Spring-assist or shock-absorbing models soak up impact that would otherwise hit your wrists and shoulders, which matters enormously over a long day.
• Add padded grips and the right size. Cushioned, anatomical grips and a proper height setting reduce the strain that causes soreness.

Our picks for hand and wrist comfort

On our best forearm crutches list, the models that score highest on comfort are the ones with ergonomic handles and shock absorption, the In-Motion Pro (spring-assist + angled handle) and the smartCRUTCH (adjustable forearm platform that shifts load off the wrist) lead here. If wrist pain is your main issue, compare them head-to-head.

Not sure which fits you? The 60-second quiz matches you to the right pick.

This is general information, not medical advice. Persistent numbness, tingling, or weakness can be a sign of nerve compression, check with a clinician.