Introduction: Forearm Crutches Made More Comfortable (padding and Retention Loops)

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I broke my leg last year and was completely non-weight-bearing for a month. What fun. I quickly found that forearm crutches were by far more stable and maneuverable than the underarm variety, but they still had their challenges, The pair delivered to my door by the Evil Empire (pictured) were bare plastic and really hard on the palms of my hands.

To make matters worse, this style of forearm crutches wouldn't allow me to let go of them for even a moment to turn a doorknob, etc, or they would clatter to the ground.

This tutorial will show how I padded the grips. As a bonus I'll share how I made the loops that allowed me to go hands-free when necessary.

(In the photo my mother is holding my unpadded crutches, but the loops have already been installed.)

I figured I'd have to redo this jerry-rig at least once along the way, but the padding held up surprisingly well with months of abuse. I wish I'd taken more photos of this process, but since I couldn't find anything out there when I was looking for solutions, I figured something on the subject was better than nothing!

Supplies

  1. Forearm Crutches (you probably already have a pair, which is why you're here)
  2. Tape - you could probably use duct tape, but I used Gorilla Tape as it's even more durable
  3. Basic shoe insoles - we got the cheapest men's foam insoles we could find. I don't know that you can cut gel insoles, so stick with foam.
  4. Scissors
  5. Bonus arm loops: Wide elastic, thread and needle

Step 1: Cut the Insoles to Size

I just sorta eyeballed the first one and drew a line on the insole where I wanted to cut it. If you're not sure, you might want to cut it longer than you think you need and trim it down as necessary. I wrapped it around the top of the grip to check my work. I had to snip a bit off the toe area as well to make it fit.

Step 2: Tape That Sucker on There

I started with one strip of tape where the insole edges met on the bottom to check it was sitting where I wanted it. At this point you may want to actually try out the feel of that crutch before proceeding. Then I wrapped a strip of tape all the way around one end, and then the other. Then I wrapped the heck out of the entire grip to try to give the foam some protection, and make it easier to wipe down and sanitize.

Step 3: Cut the Other Insole & Tape It On

I initially made a pretty good guess on sizing and didn't need to trim mine down, so I just used the parts I cut off the first insole as a template for the second one. If you had to do some extra trimming on the first one, this might not work - so just go back and repeat step one! Then tape it on.

Step 4: Bonus: Retention Loops

If your forearm crutches are not a closed ring around your arms, you'll understand the frustration. I used two wide pieces of scrap elastic leftover from a sewing project, one for either crutch. I'm guessing they were about a foot long apiece, but I don't know for sure. I threaded one piece of elastic through the holes on either side of where the crutch rests against your forearms and just hand-sewed it together to form the loop. Then I could stick my hand into the loops before grasping the (freshly padded!) grips. Life became much easier.