After hip surgery and back issues, I was walking bent over with a cane. I could only go a block or so and I quickly developed a lump on my wrist and had pain. I just knew that I would do better if I could walk more upright. Within a few weeks of using these crutches I can now walk short distances without any support. With my crutches I can go anywhere. I have gone for over a mile comfortably, I can get on and off buses, go up hills in the forest. I am old and fat, and they have given me a freedom I never thought I would have again.

I bought these crutches because I developed a cyst in my wrist a few weeks before foot surgery where I knew I would be non-weight-bearing for 2 weeks. These crutches did not bother my wrist at all and clearly place my hand and entire body in a much better position for using crutches. It is nice that they fold, though I haven't used this feature often as it takes several minutes for me to fold and unfold the crutches and is thus not that practical. In general, they are solid and well-constructed, and I feel very confident that I will not slip on wet terrain. However, these crutches have some drawbacks. First, they are about twice as heavy as standard aluminum crutches. This is not a problem for short distances, but I found I got more tired using these than standard crutches because of the weight. The spring action at the foot does help alleviate this somewhat, but I wish they made these out of a lighter material. Second, they are much harder to prop and tend to fall over easily if you stand them up against something. It's a minor thing, but really annoying. Third, your hands have to be dry and free of any kind of lotion to use them, and if your hands start to sweat, they slip. The grip itself, while alleviating hand pain because of superior positioning, is also very hard and cannot be cushioned with extra padding or your hand slips. Fourth, the crutches can only be oriented one way, which gets easier to determine with practice, but it's really annoying when you get up at 3AM needing to pee. Finally, because of the nature of the crutches, it is harder to hold something else while crutching- the grip is pretty unforgiving. You cannot add pockets and bags designed for standard crutches to help carry small objects, which is a real issue for women because women's clothes tend to be devoid of pockets. Most of these criticisms are fairly minor, and I really hope the company designs some crutches that are lighter weight and better padded in the hands (preferably in a manner that allows you to use lotion without fearing for a crutch-related accident). I have these crutches and a pair of standard aluminum crutches outfitted with extra padding, and I tend to back to these crutches despite the pain. These crutches, despite their minor faults, are still less awkward to use. I just hope my hands hurt less over the next week.

I injured my knee- and on top of that already have arthritis in both knees. I am hoping this use of crutches is temporary. I am a first time crutch user- and only using the left crutch at this time- I find the ergonomic aspects of the crutch make it very comfortable- especially on my wrists. The crutches are light weight and well made.

I like every intensely engineered feature, with one exception. The foam used for the 'under the arm' portion could use a thicker foam padding. Perhaps double the amount of padding. I could see paying an extra $10 to $15 more for this upgrade.

I needed something easy to pack in overhead luggage compartments and also on the back of my electric chair. I find they are very handy compared to regular crutches. You must get a pair if your a long term user like me.