Biomechanics of innovative spring-loaded axillary crutches

The aim was to evaluate an innovative spring-loaded crutch design by comparing its performance with standard crutches through a biomechanical approach. Gait analysis was conducted for 7 male subjects under two conditions: walking with standard crutches and with spring-loaded crutches. Three dimensional kinematic data and ground reaction force were recorded. Spatiotemporal variables, external mechanical work and elastic energy (for spring crutches) were calculated based on recorded data. The magnitude of external mechanical work was significantly higher with spring-loaded crutches than with standard crutches for all subjects and the transferred elastic energy made an important contribution to the total external work for spring-loaded crutches. No significant differences of the spatiotemporal parameters were observed. Optimized spring-loaded crutches can efficiently propel the crutch walker and could reduce the total energy expenditure in crutch walking. Further research using optimized spring-loaded crutches with respect to energy efficiency is recommended.