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When it comes to mobility, crutches are often the medical device in which comes before taking on the walking cane. Which means they must be adequately sized to your height in order to be reliable and effective. Crutches for tall people must be extra long. If they are too short it can become impossible to be mobile while also being a hazard in which you can fall.
It doesn’t matter if you need one crutch or a set of crutches, the importance in being matched to your height are the same. Don’t risk using undersized crutches if you are a tall person. Regardless of whether you need them for a short term injury or as a long term mobility aid. Otherwise it could result in further health issues and as mentioned before it can cause unexpected falls.
How To Size The Crutches If You’re A Tall PersonCrutches For Tall People Extra Long
A regular adult size pair of crutches can vary between 45 and 52 inches for a full under arm crutch. For forearm crutches where they are only as high as your forearm a regular size will be up to about 36-38 inches. If you are taller than 6 foot, these regular adult sizes will not be sufficient.
So this is how to easily measure what size crutches you need so you can buy the right pair the first time. Once you have the correct size it’s important that you seek guidance on how to correctly use crutches from your healthcare or Doctor.
- The easiest way to measure what size crutches you need is to stand up straight. Grab a friend and some tape measure. From the floor to your armpit standing up straight, measure the distance. But allow for 1-1.5 inches less for movement under the arm pit. Too tall and you could be creating further problems.
- For the hand grips, it’s ideal if they are around your hip line as this is where your hands naturally sit when you have your arms down your sides with a slight bend.
- Lastly when using crutches ensure your weight is on the hand grips and not pressed up under your arm pits. The arm pits are a sensitive area with nerves that can be pinched and crushed from the end of the crutch.
If your physiotherapist isn’t on hand to measure what size crutches you need, these tips above should help you decide which is best for you. Most crutches these days are adjustable in height. So try to get you magic number somewhere in between the minimum and maximum height measurements of the crutches.
Having crutches too short make walking extremely difficult. It will cause huge amounts of discomfort and over time it can cause back and neck pain. If the crutches are too tall for you, you will literally feel like you pole vaulting on every step which. Not only is this uncomfortable but extremely dangerous. So make sure you take these tips and measure from floor to about 1.5″ beneath your armpit.
Extra Tall Crutches For 7 Foot Tall People
However, I do believe the In Motion Pro crutches to be worth the money. The reason being it’s not just your standard pair of crutches. It’s designed to limit user fatigue and carpel tunnel syndrome from prolonged use.
This is achieved in a number of ways.
- The hand grips are not just a cylinder hard plastic shape. They have been contoured to fit ergonomically in your hands in their natural position. This makes pushing down on the crutches a lot more comfortable.
- The majority of the impact on your body comes from when you land the crutches on the ground. With the In Motion Pro you don’t get the normal hard ‘knock’ feeling which can send vibrations up the crutches. These crutches have a unique ‘spring assist’ technology feature which act as shock absorbers reducing impact on you and the crutches.
- The articulated tip on the rubber feet of the crutches also reduce impact making it not only safer on uneven terrain, but more comfortable to walk with.
Overall, It’s Worth The Investment
These impact reduction features alone are worth the extra cost of the In Motion Pro. However, there’s more to these crutches then just impact reduction. So they come in various sizes which cater for people up to 7’2″. So regardless of how tall you are, you can choose an adjustable pair to suit you provided you are not taller than 7’2″.
Another feature that is pretty cool is the way it can be folded down into a compact pair of crutches. Even when the size has been adjusted out it can still be folded down. Without you having to make the size back to stock standard.
The final touches on the In Motion Pro make it a sure winner for me. Because of the reinforced struts and cylinder bracket, these crutches are suitable for heavy people up to 500 lbs. So the perfect crutches for the big and tall people. The only thing I would avoid with these crutches is walking in the sand on the beach. It can mess up the hock absorbers in the spring assist.
Best Ergonomic Forearm Crutches For Tall Persons
If forearm crutches are what you are after, there’s none better than the Ergobaum 7G in my opinion. When you think of crutches, you don’t typically think of a fancy item with all the bells and whistles right. But with the Ergobaum 7G this all changes. I haven’t seen a more innovative pair of crutches ever. Plus they are suitable for tall people up to the height of 6’6″.Similar to the In Motion Pro crutches, the Ergobaum 7G also boasts shock absorbers that make it more comfortable to walk around on. But on the foot they have what is called a ‘Ergo Cap’. On the Ergo Cap’s are 4 grippers that form a (+) sign. What this does is makes gripping to uneven surfaces so much easy than your traditional ball tip crutches. So if you still want to get around in the outdoors you can with the Ergobaum thanks to these unique Ergo Caps.
More Features Of The ErgoBaum 7G
- With forearm crutches you don’t usually get any means to keep the crutches fully attached to your forearm. Which means they can slip if you have thinner wrists. With the Ergobaum you get a strap which straps your forearm firmly in place so it doesn’t slip. The strap also has side wings which contour to your forearm for greater stability and balance.
- A ergonomic handle that fits nicely in the hands. Comes with an adjustable cushion to make it even more user friendly. This combined with the forearm straps reduce the amount of typical pain you feel in the hands and wrists.
- I like this feature a lot. A resting knee pad. This little pad flips down from the crutches and becomes a resting place for your knee. Very handy feature when you do a lot of walking.
- Very cool features I was not expecting: Night light, safety reflectors and even a horn. Yes a horn for letting those stubborn people in front of you know that ‘hey, I’m coming through’.
- 380 lbs weight capacity.
Seriously The Best Pair Of Crutches Out There
While costing a fraction more than the In Motion Pro, the ErgoBaum 7G is certainly worth the investment. The shear amount of comfort and pain relief these crutches can bring is value in itself.
While the shock absorbers and the forearm straps make it super easy to use, it’s the smaller features that really won me over. Having the ability to rest your knee without falling over or sitting down is truly unique. Adding on the night light was something I had never even thought about. But it is such a handy feature. Makes these crutches very hard not to buy if you are no taller than 6’6″.
Available In A Selection Of Colors
Click the image below to check out what colors the Ergobaum 7G is Available to buy.
Not Sold On The Ergobaum 7G?
This short video explains in more detail some of the unique and beneficial features of the Ergobaum 7G. If you’re on the fence about investing a pair of these, you must watch!.
More Traditional Extra Long Crutches
The best traditional crutches suitable for taller people I found is the PCP push button chrome crutches. These crutches at their maximum height measure 60.5″ tall. Which roughly translates to people of 6’6″ in height. It’s an adjustable pair of crutches. So you can set the crutches to your custom height in 1″ increments. The ‘Tall’ version of these crutches recommends users between 5’10” and 6’6″.
These crutches are your typical chrome medical crutches suitable for injuries affecting the knees, ankles, leg etc. While they can be for everyday use, I would recommend one of the above two crutches above over the chrome styles. Purely for ergonomic and comfort benefits.
While the PCP crutches are quite durable, the armpits do feel a bit of discomfort when using them. So I would recommend getting a pair of armpit covers that will make them more comfortable. Worth the extra investment for the low price on these crutches.
3 thoughts on “Crutches For Tall People Extra Long Up To 7 Foot”
This is very detailed and informative! This would be really helpful to those tall people looking for the right crutches that match their size. Thanks for sharing this!
A very helpful article on crutches and support for people who are on the tall side. Appreciate your honest review on PCP Crutches, as well.
I highly recommend the MobilityDesigned M+D crutches, at least for folks up to 6’8″. My wrists couldn’t handle my weight of regular crutches, so these were a godsend.