I’ve been on crutches since I was six years old due to nerve damage in my spinal column. Fortunately, I’m very mobile and get along very well with my crutches. However, for myself and others-stem cell research holds a certain degree Continue Reading »
I’ve been testing Aventure replacement crutch tips since April. The crutch tips are made by Keen Mobility and I am going to put them on the Hall of Fame. Good job Keen Mobility. I have mentioned in earlier post that for the past 15 years I have used Tornado crutch tips exclusively, now I have some additional options.
Keen says that the Aventure pivoting tips are “designed to improve safety and mobility on uneven and slick surfaces.” These crutch tips can flex up to 30 degrees for increased surface contact-I can verify that from my own crutch use. I can’t give them a thumbs up when it comes to increased safety and mobility on slick surfaces. Just like other crutch tips on the market they have their limitations. They did not increase my stability on wet or slick surfaces. I still highly recommend the Aventure crutch tips and their cane tips!
Keen says that their replacement crutch tips will fit all standard crutches with 3/4″ to 7/8″ bases. The base on my custom forearm crutches is actually 1″. While a struggle to put on, it does fit. These crutch tips come in various colors and the best thing is the price. A pair of Aventure crutch tips will only cost you $20.00.
Aventure also makes cane tips and tips for smaller crutches. These cane tips fit canes from 1/2″ to 5/8″ diameter. They also come in different colors. Since they are from the same manufacturer and made the same way as their crutch tips-I am also recommending these cane tips. They are priced at $16.oo a pair. I like these crutch and cane tips enough that I am going to make them available with the other crutch tips we sell. If you have had any experiences with the Aventure tips please feel free to comment.
I recently had an opportunity to test drive the performance gel crutch grips made by Tom Fetterman. In addition, I spoke with a very active forearm crutch user who had been using the Performance gel grips for about a year. She felt they were a little hard and could use more Absorbalite gel. I would concur with her on that point. Being an inventor of a crutch handle myself I can appreciate just how difficult a task it is to make a great handle!
The Performance grips do not fill the palmar arch of your hand. Because of this your wrist does not get the support it needs and she found herself getting wrist fatigue and very sore hands. Continue Reading »
I finally walked on a pair of titanium crutches Saturday. The forearm crutches were manufactured by Superlite crutches. Full disclosure: I sell Superlite crutches. I met a client at Starbucks this past Saturday because she is considering the Right Grip crutch handles. She is an amputee and even more active than me. She told me that on hikes, her hands and wrists develop some serious pain including numbness. She told me that her wrists give out before her leg does! She is going to try the Right Grip handles for a week-and I’ll report back to you.
Getting back to those titanium crutches-I was impressed!! I have about six different pairs of custom crutches made out of aluminum alloy. Besides the fact that they are very light I also like the fact that they come with custom colors. I had pretty much made Continue Reading »
Titanium is an exotic metal in great demand. Crutch users know about the virtues of Titanium in crutches but it’s not our little secret. Someone found out that titanium can be alloyed with other elements such as iron, aluminum and others to make not only our crutches but jet engines, missiles and spacecraft-so much for keeping our secret about titanium crutches 
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We sold a pair of custom crutches to a client this week who did not trust his current crutches. A victor of polio, he uses titanium braces and aluminum forearm crutches. He told me his crutches were imported and they were not strong crutches and the adjustment holes were “egged out.” He literally had us make a pair of custom aluminum alloy crutches, cut to his size and ship them overnight. He told me he wasn’t Continue Reading »
I had a customer recently purchase a pair of Tornado crutch tips for forearm crutches. We got to talking about her sons crutches. He currently has a pair of aluminum adjustable forearm crutches. The adjustment holes constantly “egg” out and wear down to the next hole. This causes the crutch not only to fit well but creates more noise and stress!
I mentioned 0ur aluminum alloy crutches that are custom made-avoiding adjustment holes and increasing the overall strength of the crutch. She asked me about insurance and would they pay for a new pair of crutches. Her insurance carrier is Cigna and she referred to her book-they will cover durable medical goods and appliances-also known as crutches! We have talked about insurance payments before but in light of my recent Continue Reading »
I had a request this week from a medical provider seeking custom crutches. They had a young patient with cerebral palsy. Their dilemma was this: they needed an adult size forearm crutch with a pediatric size cuff. Interestlingly enough, she told me that she had been searching for this combination for three weeks!
Good news! We were able to provide them an adult crutch with a custom cuff to accommodate their patients smaller arm. We are still adding some elements to our site but are open for business. If you have a special need for custom forearm crutches please shoot me an email at smertz at msn.com or call me at 303-619-8972.
Steve Mertz
Custom Crutches are Our Speciality.
I am currently testing the Aventure crutch tip manufactured by Keen Mobility. I’ve only had it on my crutches for a few days but so far, I’m impressed. I have been using the Tornado crutch tip exclusively for the past 15 years-so this head to head test will be interesting. Like the Tornado crutch tip, the Aventure crutch tip is extremely hard to put on. It takes strong muscles, a can of WD 40 and a lot of perseverance! I’ve noticed over the years that the Tornado tip seems to be getting “more rigid” and doesn’t have the give of earlier Tornado tips. This is purely based on my own experiences and not backed up by any scientific data.
What has caught my eye early on with the Aventure crutch tip is it’s ability to “give” quite a bit-it appears to be softer than the Tornado tip. The next test will be if this softness equates to a shorter life-time will tell!
I live in Denver, Colorado so thus far the Aventure tip has been exposed to snow and ice very early on and has performed well. I’m a very active forearm crutch user so I will keep you posted on the test results and let you know if the Aventure tip, manufactured by Keen Mobility, joins the Tornado crutch tip on the hall of fame list or if it hits the wall of shame list! Continue Reading »
Custom crutches can run hundreds of dollars. For example, a pair of aluminum forearm crutches start at $265.00 and a pair of titanium crutches can run you $695.00 While these crutches are custom made for you and have the latest crutch handles and crutch tips-it is still a noticeable expense! Let me give you a few ideas on how to get reimbursement from your insurance company. Before I was selling crutches I had to go through the same process as you with the insurance company. The first thing is this-be sure you have a written prescription from your physician. You may tell your physician that you are getting custom crutches because the are fitted to your exact height. This eliminates adjustable crutches Continue Reading »
