Help for sore hands while using crutches

Mary,

In 2006, I had to have a knee surgery and could not bear weight on that leg for two months, and I remember the pain you describe.

What I did was switch back and forth between my crutches and a walker because the pressure points are different and this gave me relief.

And remember, very soon you will be walking on your own and all of this will be gone!

Best of luck!

Dawn, USA

My physio put some foam covers around the handles of my crutches which helped a lot. It made the crutch handles a bit bigger to grip but helped with the soreness.

Hi Mary,

I found cycling gloves indispensable when on crutches - even woolly gloves will help with the numbness and pain. My first time out on crutches, non-weightbearing (after hip revision) I was stopped while toiling up thehill to town by a man who said he had broken his leg last year, and being non-weightbearing his crutches had damaged the nerves in his hands, so they were still tingling. He also said his physio had got him some orthopaedic shaped hand bits, which helped , so this might be an option if you don't find the cycling gloves work for you.

Good luck with your recovery, let us know how you go on.

Jean

My hands were also a bit sore using crutches, but I did have some thicker gloves, which had a thick fleece lining which helped a lot.  You could wear the cycle mitts over the top of your ordinary gloves if they are big enough.  Hope you manage okay, soon you will be able to leave the crutches off altogether, or not need to put so much weight on them.

Hi Mary,

I had the same problem my hands were bruised as well, my PT gave me right and left handed crutches, they are shaped like each hand, they are great, see if you can get some, good luck with your recovery

Lynne.

I've had two bunion ops within the last 10 years and each time the NHS provided crutches with shaped handholders, which were specifically for the right and left hands. Although they weren't perfect they were pretty comfortable.  I'm now two weeks down the line with a THR and the crutches are much inferior quality, without shaping at all.  Fortunately I've got gel covers that velcro onto the handholders courtesy of my brother, and they really help.