iWALK3.0 Hands Free Crutch - Pain Free Knee Crutch - Alternative to Crutches and Knee Scooters for Below the Knee Non-Weight Bearing Injuries Only - Review All Qualifications for Use Before Buying

Got this about a week ago to use while recuperating from a broken ankle. I’m a slightly overweight 62 year old female, normally pretty active (yard work, never-ending heavy housework/cooking, home maintenance, lots of walking, but no running or high intensity exercise), mild back and hip issues (more on that below). My opinion:1. Be totally honest and realistic about your normal level of balance, activity and stamina before purchasing. If you are normally not very active, are notably overweight/obese, or have ANY balance issues, this is not for you. I pushed my luck a bit ordering this because I have some mild hip arthritis in the hip opposite my injury (the one bearing most of the weight with ANY assistive device). Crutches caused LOTS of pain in that hip so I felt I had to try something else. While this does aggravate my hip some, it’s not nearly as bad as with the crutches, and I feel it’s within an acceptable range. That said, that’s not a design flaw or the product’s fault. Just a fact that, like with any product, it’s not for everyone. You really must watch all the videos and read all the recommendations BEFORE you buy.2. Another note about weight: there are limits on how large your leg can be for the straps to fit properly, so if you are “thick” that could be a problem. So even though I’m a bit overweight, my thigh is small enough. The straps have to be very snug at all times and there is no “stretch”, so your leg really can’t be larger than the measurements they give.3. I’m surprised by some of the reviews saying they’ve walked miles using this device because I find the pressure from the tightness of the straps uncomfortable to my injury, especially from the strap closest to my cast/calf. I’ve had swelling that I feel is caused by the tightness of the straps. The tightness is necessary so the device doesn’t move around, so I don’t think this can be avoided, but it makes my injured area ache after a while and I can’t imagine having it on for any extended period of time (as in, more than 1/2 hour max at a time). Also, the knee that rests on the device gets tired and somewhat sore after a while, so I can’t imagine walking on this for a long time or long distance. But, the same thing also happens with the knee scooter.4. Know that as you put your weight down on the device as you step/walk, there is jarring/jiggling that occurs and that may cause discomfort in your affected leg (depending on what your injury is). Same with hitting bumps on knee scooter.5. Don’t use this on unsteady surfaces, any more than you would with crutches. So I’d suggest you disregard reviews referring to people walking in the sand on a beach, carrying heavy materials, or hiking up mountains. Dangerous, IMO. If you seriously stumble with this on, I think there’s a good chance you won’t be able to keep from falling, so unless you want to injure yourself further, I don’t think it’s worth it for a “look what I can do!” moment. Even if I was younger. Also, you should really check with your doctor/surgeon about using this device (as the product recommends): does he/she think it’s ok, especially how/where the straps will go and how tight they must be; are they ok with using it for long periods where it could be tight and maybe impact circulation? How your foot will hang over, the pressure on your knee, the jarring?? Also, if part of your instructions are to “take it a little easy” as you recuperate, does your doc really want you trying to do ALL the things you normally do right now??6. Don’t try and carry anything that will put your balance off or shift around in one shoulder, like a backpack or heavy purse. Maybe you could do a back back on your BACK, but nothing on one shoulder. Same with holding/carrying things in front - be careful or better yet avoid anything large or potentially unwieldy. I was particularly bothered by one of the product images showing a woman holding a toddler in front of her. Not good, IMO.7. For me, this device is ONE of the tools that is helpful, not something I can use in every situation. I have found it most useful for going up and down longer sets of stairs in my home, while doing tasks in the laundry room or kitchen, or walking short distances outside doing things where I really do want to try and have both hands free. But, I still go very slowly and am close to something if I feel unsteady. And the stairs, laundry and kitchen are the places I was struggling the most. So because this has allowed me improved mobility in those circumstances, I feel this is worth it and I’m glad I have it. The knee scooter gets me around most places, but as someone else mentioned, they are not perfect either: a normal crack/seam in a sidewalk (or your kitchen floor tile) or a tiny rock can throw it off balance very easily and potentially cause a fall. Two hands at all times!8. Realize, if you are going to be getting up and down often, you will probably want to take this off when sitting. I guess you CAN leave it on, but the strap are tight (I worry about circulation with it tight for a long time, especially behind the knee), when seated, the device/foot portion sticks out in front and your injured/impaired foot will be on the ground with your knee bent and the weight of the device (though not much) will be pressing down. I think if you’re supposed to be “non weight-bearing” that could be an issue. I felt like it was for me. As a woman, there would be no way I’d even attempt to use the bathroom without taking it off.9. Just like with crutches, the bottom of the “foot” has a rubber tip, so it can get caught on rugs, carpets, hardwood, whatever, creating a potential to stumble.10. I found that, for the best fit, erring on the device being a tad shorter than your other leg, rather than it being even a bit too tall, was best for me (so the “toe” doesn’t catch).11. I often have to hold onto the little handle when stepping with it so i feel like I have a little more control over how the “toe” will clear the floor as I stride. So, in that sense, I don’t feel I can be totally “hands free” 100% of the time, but because it suits my needs otherwise, I’m ok with that. Others might not be.12. Understand that your stride with this device (just like with crutches) is not like your normal striding gait, even if you have perfect balance. There is a different sort of “swing” to it. It is tiring!Overall, it’s well made, I feel it serves a purpose as one of the tools that is helping my mobility while I recover. It’s a bit pricey for the 6 or so weeks that I will need it. But given that I can’t just be inactive for 6 weeks, I feel the improvement in my mobility, even for that short time, is worth it to me.

Well, I hope no one reading this review NEEDS this thing, but you probably do and I'm sending my empathy your way because being injured like this isn't fun.But, if you find yourself in the unfortunate place where this type of mobility is necessary, I am happy to say that I'm am highly satisfied with this product. For context, my particular injury was to my right ankle area and required me to wear a split/boot for quite awhile. I also was fortunate enough to use a knee scooter and a pair of crutches, so I tried out a variety of things. I'll explain a bit about the use case for each later on. I'm not a doctor or anything, so take everything here with a grain of salt.What it is good for:Moving around for extended periods of time - before I had this thing, I couldn't really stand and use both my hands at the same time. My knee scooter never felt exceptionally stable when I took my hands off the handle bars (even when the brake was locked) and crutches pretty much need to be held by at least one hand at all times. with the iWalk 3.0 I was able to get back doing some basic housework like helping with the dishes, picking up after and playing with my kids (they loved Dada pirate chasing them (slowly) around the house, and even going for a short walk. That said, I wouldn't reach for this thing unless I knew I was going to be up and moving around for more than 5 minutes at a time. Going to the bathroom? Use the knee scooter. Going to refill my water? Use the knee scooter. Going to sit in the backyard while I watch the kids? This required walking across uneven and slightly squishy ground, so I used the crutches.It's just not worth it to get up and strap yourself into this thing if you're just moving a little bit.What it is NOT good for:Any sort of step or unexpected incline. To be fair, NONE of the things I used were good for hills and, ufortunately for me, I live in an area with a lot of them. Walking through my neighborhood felt dangerous, which is not what you want on an evening constitutional. Knee scooter was fine going UP hills (with a little effort and working of the break), but going down meant picking up more speed than I was comfortable with. crutches and the iWalk are both difficult for going up and down steep inclines.This warning does not include stairs, which is an area where the iWalk really shines in my opinion. Going up is easier than crutches. I always lead with my good foot, then bring up the iWalk. They have instructional video on how you should use it. One way I used it differently from iWalks videos is that I actually found that going down stairs backwards and leading with the iWalk felt more stable for me, but please do whatever is most stable and comfortable for you.How comfortable is it?From what I can tell, it seems they have improved this aspect from their previous designs, but it still isn't what I would call comfortable. There are three padded straps that wrap around your legs and they need to be TIGHT for this to work properly. I mean, if it isn't a little uncomfortable, then you will not have the stability you need to walk with this. I felt that the mobility and freedom to move around semi-normally was worth the relative discomfort, but your milage may vary. I would not use it myself for more than 30 minutes at a time to avoid soreness.One final thing: Really take your time when setting the thing up the first time. It has a pretty great system for calibrating the leg to your specifications (length and tightness), but take the time to get it right the first time. Also, pick a pair of shoes you're going to use with it wear those when your are setting it up. different heel heights will mess with the stability, so I only ever used it while wearing one particular shoe.P.S. to the fellas out there... um, the top bar on this thing is supposed to go pretty high up your inner thigh and it can be uncomfortable to your testicles if you don't watch out. Wasn't too bad, but I can see where it could be a problem if you aren't careful. Keep the marbles tucked.

It's a great idea however, the problem I had was that with a plaster cast, the top of the plaster was digging into the shin bone. So not great for a cast on the leg unless the cast is 6" below the patella.

I ruptured my Achilles which required surgery and ordered this soon after the operation because normal crutches are hard work and having read all the info thought this might help.However, after the operation you spend two weeks in plaster, when you are not supposed to move around anyway, and just keep your leg up.After that you are then fitted with a ‘Vacoped’ boot. I thought I would use the iwalk with the Vacoped but it’s doesn’t suit it for three reasons:1. The Vacoped boot is specifically designed to be used with normal crutches and allow you start building up to full weight bearing and adjusting the base plate over a period of 8 weeks so you can walk normally again, therefore if you start using iwalk instead you will hinder your recovery with vacoped. The vacoped boot is prescribed both via NHS and privately so it’s not a subjective shopping item like this, it’s THE way to recover from Achilles rupture. Yes, you could use iwalk for some occasional tasks but for the price it’s not worth it.2. My specialist also advised that the position of your leg when in the iwalk is not good for circulation, and bearing in mind during this injury you will be on blood thinners to try and prevent blood clots do you really want to be doing something else that messes with your leg and circulation?3. The vacoped boot has an air valve on the top of the front shin and when you use it with iwalk that valve is crushed into your shin and can damage the valve and your leg, not good. You are advised to add an extra piece of memory foam to the iwalk for comfort anyway but then in this scenario you’re supposed to then cut a notch in the foam or the iwalk to accommodate the vacoped valve. So, after spending £180 you’re expected to buy extra materials to make it comfortable and then perform some custom DIY work on it - really?! I don’t think so!It may work for some people but if you have suffered an Achilles injury like I have and are wearing an Vacoped boot then this is not a good match unfortunately. Unless you are desperate enough to spend £180 for occasional use.. not worth it in my book.

I broke my ankle on Wednesday. I live in a multi storey flat with 4 sets of stairs between the floors. Those of you on crutches will know the pain of trying to go up and down stairs, and just how precarious it can feel. I bought the iWalk crutch on Friday night and it arrived before lunchtime today. It is already a game changer for me.It makes navigating stairs so much easier. It takes some time to set up, but the instruction videos are excellent, and within minutes of practicing I was able to go up stairs.Down stairs is a little more awkward. I am in a boot that extends to my knee, and when I go down the step, the toe of my boot hits the top of the step above. This is slightly awkward but not physically painful - and to be honest, I much prefer this method to the one I have to use when I'm on crutches.I also wanted to add that I am plus sized and was worried about how adaptable the crutch would be for me. I needn't have worried. The crutch has a clear weight limit (which I am well within) and the straps and other size related things were all adjustable and well thought through. This is an amazing piece of kit and I am totally blown away.In short: if you have a lot of stairs and will be on crutches for weeks, this is worth the investment. I'm so glad I bought it now and didn't try to tough it out for another week or two. My life just got so much easier.

After being left with a serious ankle injury after a RTA, I've been 5 months (and counting) unable to put weight on my right ankle as I await surgery.Very quickly I found that long term use of crutches absolutely destroyed my shoulders and so after looking for alternatives, I found and purchased the iwalk 3.0.After being initially very wary when wearing the device, I swiftly graduated from using 2 crutches, to 1 crutch to no crutches when using it. With regular use, you get your balance and confidence - to the point that i feel now it is by far and away the best tool to use for getting about if you want to feel as close to normal walking as you can.Yes your knee might ache if you wear it a lot and walk long distances and yes you have to take it on and off repeatedly when you sit down, but these are small prices to pay for being able to walk independently, be able to stand at your normal height and be able to to 90% of everything you used to be able to do.I was skeptical of their promotional videos showing people doing the shopping and hoovering whilst wearing it, but with enough practice, it's easily achievable for anyone - I'd say - but it's largely about finding your balance then confidence.Technically this device is superb. Its pretty easy to assemble and size up. The instructions that are available online are very useful. Once measured correctly the straps fit Intuitively and getting them on and off is a doddle. Which is just as well, as you'll be getting it on and off loads.Overall, I have zero complaints. This device has made life after my accident more bearable, and provided me with a facsimile of normality that crutches, wheelchairs or mobility scooters cannot provide. I still need other devices for prolonged distances, but i say with all honesty this product is a life changer for those in my position.For anyone with a single lower leg injury that may take weeks or months to heal, do not worry one bit about getting one of these. It is brilliant.

Fairly badly broken foot.Device arrived promptly. A bit annoying that it did not come with assembly instructions but instead directs you to YouTube. I assembled it quickly using intuition and the picture on the box - for me this wasn't an issue, but apparently others have trouble getting it together.Pros:-allows your hands to be free in a way that crutches don't-seems sturdy and well built (I've put a lot of weight through this via heavy lifting)-I find it easy to take on and off-can be used to kneel on and move around without fastening straps-rubber sole performs well-Once you get the hang of it you can move around quickly, up and down stairs with careCons:-developed painful blister on backside of knee from centre strap-slower walking than on crutches-leg/knee becomes sore if used too much and for too long-potentially awkward fitment when wearing a cast-trickier on non-level surfacesSome kind of spring/dampening system would reduce shocks and allow you to walk faster and cause less pain in the injured area. Possibly a pivoting/tilting foot would make the device work better on uneven surfaces.Overall, for me, this was very much worth the cost. It's allowed the restoration of some amount of freedom and personal utility during lower leg injury. Great value in my books.