Mobility Aids

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Basics

• Summary

Learn More

• Related Issues
• Specifics

See, Play and Learn

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Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• No links available

For You

• Children
• Seniors

Summary

Mobility aids help you walk or move from place to place if you are disabled or have an injury. They include

• Crutches
• Canes
• Walkers
• Wheelchairs
• Motorized scooters

You may need a walker or cane if you are at risk of falling. If you need to keep your body weight off your foot, ankle or knee, you may need crutches. You may need a wheelchair or a scooter if an injury or disease has left you unable to walk.

Choosing these devices takes time and research. You should be fitted for crutches, canes and walkers. If they fit, these devices give you support, but if they don't fit, they can be uncomfortable and unsafe.

Related Issues

• Employees Who Use Wheelchairs (Office of Disability Employment Policy)
• Gardening from a Wheelchair (Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center)
• Home Modifications
• Rehabilitation Engineering: What is Rehabilitation Engineering? (National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering) Also in Spanish
• Team Sports (Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center)

Specifics

• Crutch Use (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons)
• Wheelchairs (Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center)

Statistics and Research

• Tongue-Driven Wheelchair Out-Maneuvers the Competition (National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Self-Help Devices (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Fall prevalence in people with multiple sclerosis who use wheelchairs...
• Article: Retrospective Analysis of Predictors of Proficient Power Mobility in Young...
• Article: Dynamic wheelchair seating positions impact cardiovascular function after spinal cord...
• Mobility Aids -- see more articles

Children

• Wheelchairs (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Seniors

• Choices for Mobility Independence: Transportation Options for Older Adults - PDF
• Eldercare at Home: Mobility Problems (AGS Foundation for Health in Aging)