Metabolic Energy Expenditure During Spring-Loaded Crutch Ambulation

Context: Individuals using traditional axillary crutches to ambulate expend approximately twice as much energy as individuals who perform able-bodied gait. A relatively novel spring-loaded crutch now being marketed may reduce metabolic energy expenditure during crutch ambulation. This idea, however, had not yet been tested. Objective: To determine whether the novel spring-loaded crutch reduces oxygen consumption during crutch ambulation, relative to traditional-crutch ambulation. A secondary purpose was to evaluate the design for subject-perceived comfort and ease of use. Design: Within-subject. Setting: Indoor track. Participants: 10 able-bodied men and 10 able-bodied women. Interventions: The independent variable was crutch design. Each subject ambulated using 3 different crutch designs (traditional, spring-loaded, and modified spring-loaded), in a randomized order. Main Outcome Measures: The primary dependent variable was oxygen consumption. Secondary dependent variables were subject-perceived comfort ...