The traditional crutch is ubiquitous – but in a bad way: consider it the half-working firework of medical durable goods. And if you’ve used one of the regular crutch models, you’re probably familiar with the under arm and wrist pain that comes from using this cheap, simple method.
For all its flaws — hard to fit, hard to get comfortable, difficult to move with, ugly as sin — the crutch as a product has been pretty indestructible. Up to 10 million crutches are sold annually, yet there’s been little improvement on the design because the profit margins remain narrow. How can innovation compete with something you can buy in bunches for $20?
But something is going to give. Companies continue to assail the crutch — not beating it on price, but catering to comfort. Entrepreneurs disrupt the crutch by designing new models to fit the needs of people better than the old methods can. Years from now, new technologies will simply change the way we look at helping people with twisted ankles and broken bones walk around.
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Here are some trends that will completely disrupt the crutch.
The designer crutch
Through pain and embarrassment, companies like Mobi and Better Walk have been motivated to create more comfortable, attractive-looking crutches (call them“designer crutches”). These new devices not only look more appealing than old crutches, but they cause less pain to the underarm and wrists with side panels, new hand grips and rotating underarm supports.
More concepts are coming. Consider a group of South Korean students who designed the Lifelong Crutch. The base of the crutches is circular – not a peg – so it won’t get stuck in holes. Plus, the crutch is adjustable to anyone of any height or weight and folds for storage.
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The hands-free crutch
Other companies, like iWalk and FlexLeg, have created a crutch that completely eliminates arm and upper-body pain with a hands-free crutch. Actor Harrison Ford was recently seen using his hands-free crutch to recover from an accident that resulted in a broken foot. It may look strange, but the iWalk and FlexLeg distribute your weight evenly on your shin that rests on the device and keeps you secure with straps to attach around the thigh, acting as a natural extension of your leg.
Robotics
Ideas about how to create streamlined and more comfortable crutches are increasing exponentially. But they may not have a place in the future with new robotic devices that are getting people back on their feet. Companies like ReWalk and Ekso Bionics have created robotic devices that are helping people who can’t walk get mobile again. These robotic suits allow people with lower extremity weakness to walk again after some getting used to.
No one is going to replace a $30 crutch with the ReWalks of today. But those technologies, coupled with the design thinking already being applied to the crutch, mean robotics will trickle down into crutch technologies decades from now.
With all of this healthcare innovation, in the next 30 years crutches might be rendered completely useless by even newer and more improved models.
[Top photo from Flickr user Nadya Peek]
