How do I use crutches and get up and down stairs safely?

Setting the height

• Elbow crutches: stand upright with arms relaxed; the handle should be level with your wrist crease, giving a slight elbow bend when you hold it
• Underarm crutches: the top should sit two to three finger-widths below your armpit; take weight through your hands, never by leaning on the armpit pads
• Check that rubber tips are intact and not worn smooth, especially on shiny marble floors common in Qatar homes and malls

Walking on flat ground

• 1. Stand tall, crutches slightly in front and to the side of your feet
• 2. Move both crutches forward a short step
• 3. Step the injured leg forward to land between the crutches, putting on only the weight your surgeon allows
• 4. Press down through the handles and step the good leg through, just past the crutches
• 5. Repeat with short, even steps and look ahead, not at your feet

Stairs: up with the good, down with the bad

Use a handrail whenever there is one. Hold the rail with one hand and both crutches, or one crutch, in the other hand.

Going up:

• 1. Stand close to the bottom step
• 2. Step up with the good leg first
• 3. Bring the injured leg and the crutch up to the same step
• 4. Take one step at a time

Going down:

• 1. Stand close to the edge of the step
• 2. Place the crutch on the step below first
• 3. Step down with the injured leg
• 4. Bring the good leg down to the same step

Safety tips and when to ask for help

Clear rugs, cables and wet floors, wear closed shoes with grip, and carry things in a small backpack rather than your hands. Practise stairs with a physiotherapist before leaving hospital. Sitting on the step and moving up or down on your bottom is an acceptable backup.

Contact your surgeon if you have increasing calf pain or swelling, tingling or numbness in the hands from pressing on the handles, or if you fall onto the operated knee.