Your Trusted UK Guide to Mobility Aids, Walking Aids & Disability Equipment
Standard crutches are brilliant right up until you try to squeeze into a taxi, board a regional train or wedge them into a hatchback boot. Then they turn into two long poles with a grudge. Folding crutches for travel fix that. They shrink to a fraction of their working length, slide into a bag and … Read more
It’s 11pm. You’ve spent four hours under fluorescent lights, and someone has just handed you a pair of grey metal sticks and said, “Non-weight-bearing for six weeks.” You nod. Then you hobble to the car park and realise nobody explained how any of this actually works. That’s the gap this guide fills. Choosing crutches for … Read more
Underarm crutches for tall adults are axilla-style walking aids with a longer frame and a wider height-adjustment range. They typically fit people from about 5ft 10in to 6ft 6in (1.78–1.98 m). The padded top rests against the chest wall just below the armpit, while the handgrips carry your weight, so correct length matters far more … Read more
The best elbow crutches are lightweight, height-adjustable walking aids that pair a supportive forearm cuff with a comfortable, pressure-spreading handle. They let you move weight off an injured or weak leg through your hands and forearms, while the cuff keeps the crutch with you whenever you briefly let go. Nobody budgets for crutches. One misjudged … Read more
The best lightweight crutches are adjustable aluminium or carbon fibre elbow (forearm) crutches weighing roughly 550g-750g each. They fit your height precisely, carry your body weight safely and spare your wrists and shoulders from fatigue. They are also far cheaper than most people expect. Here’s the thing nobody mentions when you’re handed a pair in … Read more
Trekking poles for elderly walkers are lightweight, adjustable poles, normally used as a pair, that give older walkers two extra points of contact with the ground. They steady your balance on uneven paths, share the load that would otherwise land on your knees and hips, and turn a wobbly stroll into a confident, rhythmic stride. … Read more
Carbon fibre trekking poles vs aluminium trekking poles is a straight choice between two shaft materials. Carbon is lighter, stiffer and better at damping vibration. Aluminium is heavier and cheaper, and it tends to bend rather than snap when abused. Which one wins depends on your terrain, your budget and how kindly you treat your … Read more
Telescopic trekking poles vs fixed length poles comes down to one trade-off: adjustability against simplicity. Telescopic poles slide out of nested sections and lock at whatever height you choose. Fixed length poles commit to a single height, usually folding Z-style like a tent pole, which makes them lighter, faster to deploy and far smaller in … Read more
There’s a particular kind of smugness that settles in once you’ve discovered nordic walking poles. You watch someone power past on a flat towpath, arms swinging with unmistakable purpose, and think: they know something I don’t. What they know is that walking with poles turns an ordinary stroll into a full-body workout without turning it … Read more
There’s a particular kind of embarrassment that comes with turning up to your first nordic walking session holding what everyone else instantly clocks as hiking poles. Wrong grip, wrong strap, wrong angle — and suddenly a lovely walk in the park feels like a PE lesson you didn’t revise for. If you’ve typed nordic walking … Read more