Looking For Walking Aids?Get Canes, Walkers, Crutches and More Right Now!

06/30/2022
walking aids

Walking aids are equipment designed to help individuals who experience trouble moving on their own. This trouble is often experienced by older persons or individuals who, through accident or illness, cannot effectively move around.

Walking aids are also known as mobility assistants or mobility aids. This post examines the various kinds and factors to consider when purchasing them.

Types of Walking Aids

This section examines various types of walking aids, features, and functions. Some products and their prices are also included. But note that such costs may be subject to change.

Cane

Canes are the most common type of walking aid available to elderly folks. Canes help to keep the legs stable while reducing strain on the legs. They typically don't get in your way and leave much room for independence. Their heights are also often adjustable. Just a caution, though, they tend to put some strain on the wrists. So if the patient has weak hands, a cane might not be the best option.

Features

  • It could be made from carbon, metal, or wood.
  • It comes with a range of handle styles to improve grip and palm support
  • Often have adjustable heights

Uses

  • Increases patient’s balance when standing and walking
  • Provides some sensory feedback that improves safety when walking
  • Take some amount of pressure away from the legs.

Prices

  • Medline Chrome Standard Aluminum Cane: $21.63
  • Drive Medical Foam Grip Walking Cane: $22.99
  • Invacare Offset Cane: $29.99
  • Medwish Walking Cane: $5

Walker

Popularly known as Zimmer Frames, walkers consist of a metal frame with four legs that may often have wheels attached. Walkers provide more support and balance due to their greater contact with the ground.

The user will often place weight on both sides of the frame, receiving excellent stability while retaining a reasonable level of independence. Don't be fooled by their bulky appearance, though, as they are often lightweight, with some even being foldable.

Features

  • Both sides have plastic, foam, or gel grips.
  • Typically composed of 1′′ aluminum tube and meant to be lightweight.
  • Most heights are adjustable.
  • The wheels do not turn.

 Uses

  • Valid for short-distance travel or where steadiness is the primary concern.
  • Beneficial for people who tend to fall forward.
  • Because it folds and stows, it is ideal for travel.

Prices

Drive Medical Side Style Hemi One Arm Walker: $46.68

Medline Guardian Sidestepper Adult Dual Grip Premium Hemi-walker: $53.11

Nova Folding Side Hemi Walker: $64.95

AG-LY918L Walker: $26.00

Crutch

Crutches transfer some weight from the legs to the upper body instead of the legs.

Crutches are typically worn in pairs and are far more obtrusive, unwieldy, and difficult to use than canes. They work best as a temporary walking aid, such as after a leg injury. However, there are usually superior solutions when it comes to long-term walking aid devices.

Features

  • Mostly made of metal
  • They have leather or foam pads to prevent soreness
  • It can either be used in the under-arms or forearms

Uses

  • Helpful in instances when there needs to be the slightest minimum pressure on the legs
  • Useful for recovery after fractures.

Prices

Drive Medical Lightweight Walking Forearm Crutches: $55.76

Medline Walking Forearm Crutches: $41.19

Nova Ortho Med Nova Crutch: $27.27

AG-LY920L Crutch: $5.04

Rollators

Rollators are a great way to get around, especially when the patient needs a break. They have four wheels, handlebars, and a seat so you can stay comfortable and mobile.

Rollators are handy for seniors who require more walking assistance than usual but do not wish to contemplate a wheelchair at this time.

They provide excellent safety and stability for the user, but their width, mass, and bulkiness, like walkers, might present problems in daily use.

Features

  • All four legs of a rollator are equipped with wheels (three or four)
  • It features brakes that the user can engage.
  • The front wheel(s) swivel, making turning easier.

Uses

  • They are easier to use outdoors and on rough or irregular ground.
  • They are great for people who might need to take a rest while moving around.

Prices

Drive Medical Aluminum Four-Wheel Rollator: $281

Invacare Bariatric Rollator: $330.50

NOVA Traveler 3 Wheel Rollator Walker, All Terrain: $179.95

AG-965LH-1 Hospital Rollator Walker: $86.00

Knee Scooters

Knee scooters are comparable to rollators, knee walkers, knee coasters, and orthopedic scooters.

The knee scooter/walker allows the user to prop up the walker with one leg while resting one knee on a padded cushion.

Knee scooters are excellent walking assistance if you have just hurt one leg or wish to stay active while walking. They're also fun to use, but they're probably not the ideal solution for people with overall frailty or limited movement.

Features

  • It is equipped with wheels (three or four)
  • It features drum brakes or locking wheel brakes that the user can engage.
  • It might be incompatible with boots, although some newer models support boot-wearing
  • Often comes with baskets for hauling light loads.

Uses

  • It is a comfortable and effective way to remove weight from an injured ankle or foot while it heals.
  • Its hands-free capabilities make it perfect for daily tasks.
  • You can move around wherever you please by resting your leg on the knee pad and using the opposite foot to propel yourself.

Prices

Drive Medical Dual Pad Steerable Knee Scooter: $188.00

Vive All Terrain Knee Walker: $249.99

NOVA Medical Heavy Duty Knee Walker: $410.00

FSHFK-001 Knee Scooter: $105.00

Wheelchairs

Wheelchairs can be a beneficial tool for those who cannot walk or have difficulty walking. This makes them more of a walking replacement than a walking aid. Nonetheless, they can still be used by those with temporary problems who need to get the weight off their feet.

The user can propel them if they have adequate upper body strength, or they can be pushed by someone else. Most wheelchairs can be customized to fit your needs, whether you have permanent or temporary walking problems.

Features

  • It moves on mainly two wheels, which castors may support.
  • Can be propelled by the user or by another person, or by electric power
  • Features a seat, footrest, and protective restraints to prevent toppling

Uses

  • Helpful for those with long-term issues and those who find it difficult to walk long distances.
  • It helps those with musculoskeletal or paralytic conditions.
  • Great for persons who shouldn’t place weight on their feet

Prices

Drive Medical Lightweight Expedition Transport Wheelchair: $178.00

Drive Medical Trident HD Heavy Duty Power Wheelchair: $2,899.00

Invacare TRSX58FBP Tracer SX5 Wheelchair:$438.67

Medline Basic Lightweight Wheelchair: $259.99

Hospital Electric Standing Wheelchair AG-LY002: $2,016

Hospital Electric Standing Wheelchair AG-LY001: $94

Mobility Scooters

A mobility scooter is an electric vehicle and mobility device comparable to or auxiliary to a motorized wheelchair but is designed to look like a motorscooter instead.

When motorized, these devices are also often known as power-operated vehicles or scooters, handicap scooters, and electric scooters.

Mobility scooters without motors are not as prevalent, but they are designed for about 60% of wheelchair users who retain some use of their legs.

Features

  • Predominantly battery powered
  • It consists of a set of handlebars or a steering mechanism in the shape of a delta in the front to turn the wheels.
  • It often has lighting features, and some models may include a speed limiter.

Uses

  • Used by people who can walk and get on and off of a seated object by themselves.
  • It has an incredible speed of travel compared to wheelchairs
  • Useful for people who don't have the strength or flexibility in their arms and shoulders to use a manual wheelchair.

 Prices

Pride Jazzy Zero Turn 8 4-Wheel Scooter: $1,854.00

Drive Medical Phoenix HD 4 Wheel Scooter: $1,599.00

Invacare Comet Ultra Mobility Scooter: $3,505.23

SHD409 Mobility Scooter:$919.00 

Gait Trainers

As part of the process of gait training, a gait trainer is a wheeled device that enables a person unable to walk unassisted to learn or relearn how to walk safely and effectively.

Children and adults with physical limitations can benefit from using gait trainers since they allow them to enhance their walking ability.

Features

  • It can be adjusted to suit various heights.
  • Accommodates several positioning needs.
  • It comes with an easily operated braking system or offers an option for brakes inclusion.

Uses

  • It provides unweighting support and postural alignment so that gait practice can be carried out.
  • It performs the job of a support walker and offers additional assistance for maintaining balance and bearing weight compared to a conventional rollator.
  • It makes it possible to stand and put weight on one's feet while still being secure and supported.

Prices

Rifton Large Pacer Gait Trainer: $1,820.0

Ormesa Birillo Pre-Gait Trainer:$867.22

Inspired by Drive Moxie GT Gait Trainer: $710

XY-K-G2 Gait Training Device: $3,366.09

The Basic Tips For Choosing Walking Aids

Consider the following when choosing a mobility aid:

Weight

When medical professionals advise people to use walking aids, it’s often for reasons such as keeping some or all weight away from the foot. Hence, when choosing a walking aid, you’ve got to consider whether it would be appropriate to support your weight sufficiently. For instance, while a cane will take some weight away from the leg, it wouldn’t serve a person who has been advised to take off as much weight as possible as a wheelchair or a mobility scooter will.

Also, you might want to consider the equipment’s loading weight to ensure that it is strong enough to support your weight. There are bariatric walking aids for those with significant body weight, which are good options to consider.

The Material of The Product

The material the product is made from is of great importance as well. Most walking aids are made from wood, metal, or carbon composite.

You should do well to verify that the materials are well made, durable, and non-hazardous.

For people who would need to move long distances, you would also do well to ensure that the walking aid is made of lightweight material that you can easily tug around if need be.

Nonetheless, it should be strong enough not to snap or bend when it falls or come into contact with something.

Safety

The safety of walking aids is a very prominent factor to consider. This is particularly so because persons who use them in the first place have limited mobility and cannot extricate themselves from danger quickly. This makes it more important for the equipment not to endanger its user.

Safety features such as lights, restraint straps, effective braking mechanisms, brake locking, and speed limiters for motored aids are vital additions. Similarly, hand grips, footrests, handrails, rubber-tipped points, and other anti-slide features should be present where necessary.

Warranty

Most walking aids do not come cheap, particularly knee walkers, gait trainers, wheelchairs, and mobility scooters. Hence, the mobility assistant must be of "sufficient quality."

When evaluating quality, it is vital to consider the following aspects: description, price, condition, appropriateness for the task at hand, appearance, and finish; safety; durability; and absence of minor faults.

Statements about the mobility aid made in public, such as those in advertising or on labeling, by the retailer, the manufacturer, or their representative, are required to be factual. They can also be considered when determining whether or not the item is of satisfactory quality.

Price

It is essential to give some thought to the whole amount you are prepared to invest before buying a walking aid. Be sure to consider all of your alternatives before deciding on one.

You should be aware that a high price tag is not necessarily indicative of a product's high level of quality; hence, it is essential to investigate the product's particular characteristics and other options.

However, try not to compromise your needs to save costs; for example, if you have limited use of your hands, it might be unwise to shell out a lot of money to buy a manual wheelchair when you can get a mobility scooter or an electric wheelchair.

Where To Buy Walking Aids at Wholesale Prices

Walking aids are vital for keeping patients mobile while helping them cope with or heal from mobility-affecting conditions. And while they are available in many forms, finding the right place to get them can be challenging.

That's where Medwish comes in. We are a B2B leading supplier of medical equipment. We offer our customers the ability to buy in bulk at wholesale prices. Therefore, you can always contact us to know how we can help you keep the rehabilitation unit in your health institution well stocked and equipped to meet varying needs.

Plus, our customer service team is always available to answer any questions you may have about our products.

So don't wait any longer; head to Medwish today to stock up on the best Walking aids.

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