The 10 Best Knee Scooters
Special Honors
Performance Health Days The Days walker sits atop four well-built casters that will provide balance and stability on many different types of surfaces. It’s built to accommodate individuals of all shapes and sizes, with a thick, cushioned platform for lasting comfort and a helpful basket for transporting small items and accessories. performancehealth.com
Editor's Notes
November 10, 2020:
KneeRover and Elenker continue to dominate the industry with a diverse range of scooters for different budgets. We've added the KneeRover Deluxe, an almost-swanky model with tie-rod steering, which is similar to what you'd find in an automobile. At a lower price, the Elenker Best Value scores high for its upgraded bag and excellent brakes. We've also added the Essential Medical Supply Free Spirit, which is ideally suited for larger and heavier users.
We removed the ZeHuoGe Platform because its price had quadrupled and its reviews had fallen. The Nova Medical Metallic and the Karman Luxury have been taken off because their reviews were no longer up to par. We've also updated the information on several items, including the Roscoe Medical ROS-KSBG, the KneeRover Go, and the Elenker Deluxe.
November 22, 2019:
The Medline Weil and the Isokinetics Walker were no longer available, so we dropped those from the list. In a few cases, we identified notable safety concerns with the scooters, so we removed all those items as well.
We found that patients using the Roscoe Medical ROS-KSBG have been pleased with the level of control it provides, both in terms of turning radius and intuitive steering. We also noted its parking brake, which many people seem to find very helpful. This item has been upgraded in the rankings.
We made several new additions, including the Nova Medical Metallic, which is designed specifically for big and tall folks. However, if you’re an average-sized individual, it is available in smaller sizes as well. Most of the other new items fold up for transport and storage, and a couple of them even have a memory foam knee pad that provides an extra level of comfort.
Who Should Consider Using A Knee Scooter
Mastery of the knee scooter also requires much less time than one needs to get comfortable using other mobility aids, such as crutches or a wheelchair.
Knee scooters are generally intended for use during the convalescent period following an injury, a surgery, or an illness that has rendered one of a person's legs largely unfit for use. Thus, they are almost always a temporary mobility solution, and are not intended for long-term use, such as one would expect a walker or cane might be. Unlike these long-term impaired mobility solutions, a knee scooter is primarily used by a person who is actually in relatively good health, but needs some assistance in the short term.
Also, unlike the support offered by a walker or cane, which reduce the burden put on one or both legs, but still require the use of both limbs, a knee scooter totally removes one leg from the process of locomotion. That means the person's other leg must be in at least relatively good health, as it will be responsible for the person's balance and propulsion. Use of a knee scooter also requires at least moderate core strength and fine motor control, which makes them less suitable for many elderly people or anyone generally infirm due to ailment, obesity, or another condition.
Quite often, a person using a knee scooter will have their afflicted, elevated leg in some sort of cast. Knee scooters are ideal tools for the person recovering from an injury to the ankle or foot, or after surgery involving one of these areas. These devices are not ideal for an individual who has just had an issue with their knee or hip, however, as they concentrate too much bodyweight down onto those joints.
At first glance, then, there seem to be many reasons knee scooters are not ideal mobility solutions. However, a plethora of positive attributes more than compensate for the stated limitations.
A knee scooter is one of the least invasive mobility aids a person in generally good health can use. Many compact knee scooters can allow a user to easily navigate busy city streets, the rows of shelves at a store, or even the narrow aisle of an airplane. Unlike a walker, which stands much wider than a person's frame, a knee scooter perches nearly within a user's shoulder width.
Knee scooters are also highly efficient in terms of energy use. They allow the natural movement of your good leg, so to speak, to make use of the innate efficiency of the wheel. Mastery of the knee scooter also requires much less time than one needs to get comfortable using other mobility aids, such as crutches or a wheelchair.
Choosing The Right Knee Scooter
Even the less expensive knee scooter models are not exactly cheap. Thus, the choice of which knee scooter best suits your needs might come down to time and money. Or, to put it more directly, if it's likely you'll only need your knee scooter for a short amount of time, then you probably won't want to spend too much
Or, to put it more directly, if it's likely you'll only need your knee scooter for a short amount of time, then you probably won't want to spend too much
If you are facing a shorter recovery time after surgery, or if you have a broken bone set in a cast, then a lower cost knee scooter is the logical choice. If you face several months of recovery, or if you will be using your knee scooter for an indefinite period, then you might want to consider some of the higher-priced options.
While all knee scooters are designed to offer you comfort and support, it's often the extra features that make one worth the extra money. Choosing a knee scooter with a basket, for example, makes it easy to quickly access your phone, wallet, keys, and other small items that you might normally hold in your hand.
There are also many knee scooters available that are specialized in various ways and can be perfect for people with varied needs or interests. Some are designed to support users as large as 350 lbs., for example, while others have large pneumatic tires with thick treads that are great for the adventurous person who wants to take their knee scooter on an all-terrain adventure. Still, other knee scooters feature a chassis with five wheels and disc brakes for superlative control. These options are ideal for use in busy areas like a large office, hospital, or for the urban resident.
Some Words Of Caution
Before you start using your knee scooter, take the time to adjust its settings until it fits your body comfortably. You should be standing almost fully erect when in the proper position, so raise or lower the knee platform and handlebars to accommodate this. Until you are comfortable not only standing with but actually using your new knee scooter, use it slowly.
And always wear shoes with good traction on the soles for precisely this reason.
The brakes of your knee scooter are primarily designed to hold the unit still once it is already stopped. While they can aid in slowing your roll so to speak, your walking leg should provide the majority of the slowing and stopping, so never exceed a rolling speed you can safely arrest with that leg. And always wear shoes with good traction on the soles for precisely this reason.
Make sure to use extra care when transitioning from one type of flooring or ground surface to another: even larger wheels can catch on the lip of a doorway or as you move from hardwood to carpet or sidewalk to street, and an ensuing over-the-handlebars fall can be painful and injurious. Simply slow down as you approach such transitions, and keep your weight leaned back and away from the front of the unit.