The 10 Best Crutches

For a few weeks on one leg after a sprain or surgery, the Medline Aluminum Crutches are the plain, hospital-style pair most people need. A push button sets the height, the hand grips move with a screw, and the rubber tips have a lip that helps on stair edges. Spare tips and pads are easy to find. This size suits adults of average height, so taller people need the tall version, and the foam pads feel firm by evening.

People who will be on crutches for months should look at the Millennial Medical in-Motion Pro, whose lower legs hold a spring that softens each step. The grips are shaped for the left and right hand, the tips pivot to stay flat, and the crutches fold in half for travel. Disabled in the Wild, a longtime crutch user's blog, rated them the best value after about five years of use. Grit can jam the spring, and it can click.

Forearm crutches leave the armpits free, and the Vive Forearm Crutches are a low-cost way to try them. The open cuff and hand grip are molded as one piece, the shaft adjusts with a push button, and the pair is light enough to carry up stairs without strain. Vive backs them with a 60-day money-back guarantee. The hard plastic grip has no padding or shock absorber, so long days can leave the hands sore.

Travelers and anyone short on closet space should consider the Carex Folding Aluminum Crutches, which fold down small enough to slip under an airplane seat or into a suitcase. They are underarm crutches with thick blue pads and padded hand grips, and one size adjusts to fit most teens and adults. They fold and unfold by hand, with no tools. Its weight rating suits lighter adults, so heavier users need a sturdier pair.

Built in Europe with reflectors front and back, the PEPE Mobility Forearm Crutches suit someone who needs forearm crutches for a short stretch on a tight budget. Each crutch is light aluminum with an open cuff, a soft-feel handle and a non-slip rubber tip. The height adjusts across 11 settings. The maker warns that the handles feel firm in long use, and the height clip must click fully into place before you lean on it.

If underarm pads are what hurts, the Drive Medical Air-Crutch goes after that problem with a much thicker, air-filled cushion on top. The hand grips are gel and angled to keep the wrist straighter, and flexible tips with grooved treads are meant to hold on wet floors. It comes in three colors. This line is new, so there's no long track record yet, and the comfort claims come from Drive itself.

Long-term forearm crutch users who want a sturdier, better-shaped handle can step up to the Walk Easy 495, a forearm pair with anatomic grips. The contoured grip spreads pressure across the palm, the closed cuff holds the arm securely, and the shafts come in many colors. Walk Easy adds a one-year warranty. They are a big outlay for a first pair, and few owners have weighed in so far.

The Medline Aluminum Forearm Crutches use the classic closed cuff, which stays on the arm when the hand lets go to open a door or grab a rail. The cuffs are vinyl-coated, the height sets with a push pin, and the thick rubber tips resist slipping. Check Medline's height range for this size before ordering. The weight rating is on the low side, so heavier users should check it first.

For a broken foot or ankle, the iWALK3.0 Hands-Free Knee Crutch lets you walk on a bent knee strapped to a padded platform, leaving both hands free to carry a drink or hold a stair rail. It only works for injuries below the knee, and the maker says users need good balance and leg strength and should be 55 or younger. Expect a learning curve of a day or more, and it's a poor match for many older people.

Heavier and taller adults are who the Medline Steel Bariatric Crutches are built for: the frame is steel, a metal insert cuts wear where the parts meet, and they carry up to 650 pounds. They're sized for tall adults, the height sets with a push button, and the foam handles twist off to move. The steel makes them a chore to swing all day, and owner feedback is still thin.