Forearm crutches is the most common type of crutches, and you can see what forearm crutches look like on the image below. Forearm crutches has a cuff at the top of the handle which goes around your forearm. This cuff gives you more support and makes it easier for you to put a lot of weight on the crutches. The forearm crutches are used by slipping your arm into the cuff and holding on to the handle. The cuff is usually formed like a half circle, but on some crutches it is a whole circle surrounding the users forearm. The cuff is usually made out of plastic or metal, with a type of opening in the front so that the arm can slip out in case of a fall.
Forearm crutches are used by both people with permanent walking disabilities as well as by people recovering from a broken leg or other temporary walking disabilities. Forearm crutches are often referred to as the Loftstrand crutch, the reason for this is that Loftstrand is large manufacturer of these type of crutches.
Forearm crutches are often made out of aluminum, which makes them both light weight and pretty solid as well. The tip of the crutch is usually made of hard rubber, something that makes it hard for the crutches to slip. For wintertime many people place metal spikes on the tip of their forearm crutches, as the rubber tip slips pretty easily on ice.
Tags: aluminum, crutches, forearm crutches, ice spies, Loftstrand, recovery crutches, rubber tip, spikes on crutches, winter crutches