How to Walk With Crutches: Gait, Turns, and Curbs

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Commissions never change our scores. Details.

To walk with underarm crutches: move both crutches a short step forward, press down through your hands, and swing your body to land your good foot near the tips. Keep the weight on the grips and the steps short. This is general guidance, not medical advice, so follow the instructions from your doctor or physical therapist.

Swing-to vs swing-through

There are two common patterns for a leg you are keeping weight off of:

• Swing-to: move both crutches ahead, then swing your good leg so it lands just behind the crutch tips. Slower, steadier, and the usual starting point.
• Swing-through: swing your good leg so it lands just past the tips. You cover more ground per step, but it takes more upper-body strength and balance.

Both rely on the same core move: weight on your hands, not your armpits, with a small gap between the pads and your rib cage — a principle covered in the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ patient crutch-walking guidance. If that idea is new, the full how to use crutches guide covers the setup fundamentals.

Three-point gait (partial weight-bearing)

The swing gaits above are for non-weight-bearing recovery, where no load goes through the injured leg. Three-point gait is a different pattern used when a clinician has cleared partial weight-bearing. For a deeper look at non-weight-bearing technique and equipment options, see non-weight-bearing crutches.

In three-point gait: move both crutches and your injured foot one step forward together, treating them as a single unit. Then step through with your good foot. The injured leg makes contact with the floor but carries only the amount of load your clinician has specified.

The weight allowance often changes as recovery progresses, so this gait requires clear and current guidance from your care team. If you are unsure which gait pattern your recovery calls for, ask your physical therapist before changing your approach. Three-point gait is not a substitute for the non-weight-bearing swing gaits when full non-weight-bearing is still required.

Surfaces, pace, and managing energy

Take small, even steps and pause between them to settle your balance. Long strides and a fast pace are where slips happen. Look ahead at where you are going rather than down at your feet, the same way you would walking normally. Smooth beats quick.

Tile and wet floors. Tile floors are among the more common surfaces for crutch slips, especially when wet. Slow down by an extra margin, shorten your steps further, and plant each tip deliberately before shifting weight. If a floor is visibly wet, take the long way around when you can.

Outdoor and uneven terrain. Before crossing grass, gravel, or any path with cracks or roots, scan a few steps ahead. Look for rocks, gaps in pavement, and uneven edges. Short steps give you more opportunity to correct your position if a tip lands at an unexpected angle. When the ground feels too rough to navigate safely, wait for assistance or find a smoother route.

Managing energy. Crutch walking uses significantly more energy than normal walking, particularly in the first few days. Build up distance gradually, rest often, and keep sessions short until the movement becomes familiar.

Household situations

Narrow hallways. Tight corridors give you less room to swing. Shorten your stride and use small arc-steps to change direction at a doorway rather than pivoting in place. If the hall is too narrow for standard side-by-side tip placement, angle one tip slightly inward and move one crutch at a time.

Carpet. Carpet creates drag on rubber crutch tips. Use a swing-through gait if your weight-bearing status allows it, and take shorter steps than you would on hard floors. Keep both tips fully planted before you transfer any weight.

Tile and wet bathroom floors. Widen your stance slightly and slow down more than feels necessary on wet tile. If you have a choice, go around a wet section rather than across it.

Bathroom threshold and bath mat. Step over the threshold rather than sliding the crutch tips across it. Move any loose bath mat out of your path or to the side; a sliding mat underfoot is a common source of falls when your weight is already shifting through the crutches.

Kitchen counter work. If you need to stand at the counter, press one crutch lightly against the cabinet face for support and use the other hand for the task. Do not carry items in your hand while walking on crutches; use a small bag clipped to the crutch shaft or a backpack instead.

Getting up and sitting down

Learning a set sequence for seated-to-standing and standing-to-seated transfers builds the habit before fatigue sets in. Mayo Clinic’s crutch patient guide covers these transfers; here is the standard approach.

Sitting down. Back up to the chair until you feel the edge of the seat against the back of your leg. Hold both crutches in one hand by the grips and lower them to the side. Reach back with your free hand to grip the armrest or seat edge, then slowly lower yourself using your good leg. Keep the injured leg slightly forward, not tucked under the chair.

Standing up. Scoot forward to the edge of the seat first. Hold both crutch grips together in the hand on your affected side. Push through your arm and your good leg at the same time to rise, then place a crutch under each arm once upright. Do not push off the underarm pads; they are not handles.

Chair height. A firmer, taller chair (standard dining chair rather than a low sofa) makes both transfers easier. The higher seat means less distance to lower and less effort to push back up.

Turning and changing direction

Do not pivot in place. To turn, take several small steps to walk yourself around in a gentle arc, leading with your good leg and letting the crutches follow. Give yourself more room than you think you need, especially in tight spaces like doorways and bathrooms.

Curbs and steps

A simple rule helps here: the good leg goes up first, and the crutches go down first.

• Going up a curb: step up with your good leg, then lift the crutches and your injured leg up to meet it.
• Going down: lower the crutches to the lower level first, then step down with your injured leg, then your good leg.

Use a handrail whenever one is available, holding it with one hand and both crutches in the other. For anything beyond a single curb, the full stair technique guide covers handrail and no-handrail methods step by step.

Forearm crutch technique: what changes

Forearm crutches use a cuff that wraps around the lower forearm rather than an underarm pad. The cuff keeps the crutch attached to your arm through the stride, so your hand does not have to maintain a tight grip to stay in contact.

The swing is narrower than with underarm crutches and should be elbow-driven: you advance the crutch from the elbow joint, producing a short, controlled arc. A shoulder-driven swing, where you shrug the shoulder to move the crutch forward, is a common compensator pattern. It tires you out faster and reduces tip control. If you feel shoulder fatigue early in a session, check whether the motion is starting from the elbow or the shoulder; it should come from the elbow.

On stairs and at curbs, slip the forearm cuff off your arm before gripping a handrail. Press the back of your forearm outward to slide the cuff clear, grip the rail, complete the step, and slide the cuff back on. With a few repetitions this becomes quick and instinctive. It gives you a full, clean grip on the rail rather than a split-grip between cuff and handrail.

For recoveries lasting several weeks or more, forearm crutches are generally the preferred option. Load distributes across the forearm cuff rather than concentrating at the palm, which matters over long sessions and multi-week timelines. The open cuff also allows brief hands-free moments such as reaching for a doorknob or picking something up from a counter without setting the crutch down entirely, which is less convenient on underarm crutches.

The core move is the same as underarm technique: weight through the grip, tips planted before shifting load. The grip height, cuff position, and swing mechanics differ. For the full forearm technique walkthrough, see how to walk with forearm crutches.

When to call your clinician

• Wrist or palm pain that persists after 2 or more days of use
• A fall or near-fall that was not from an obvious uneven surface
• Armpit soreness that does not resolve after re-adjusting crutch height

These are signs your fit or technique needs a professional look. Let your clinician know so they can check your setup and technique.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Leaning on the underarm pads. This is the big one. Press through the grips so your weight stays in your hands.
• Steps that are too long. Overreaching with the crutches puts the tips too far ahead and pulls you off balance.
• Rushing. Fatigue and slick floors are when falls happen, so slow down on tile, wet ground, and stairs.
• Worn rubber tips. Smooth, cracked tips lose grip. Replace them when the tread wears down.

Comfort makes the miles easier

Padding thickness and grip design determine how long a session stays comfortable. The Vive Health crutches use thicker grip cushioning that spreads contact across more of the hand; the Drive Medical aluminum crutches are a solid all-around pick. Not sure which fits your situation? The quiz takes about two minutes, or compare picks in the best underarm crutches roundup.