Walking with a boot or cast using the iWALK3.0

Walking with a boot or cast using the iWALK crutch

The iWALK3.0 hands-free crutch is perfectly suited for use with a variety of medical boots and plaster casts, and in most cases you can use it without experiencing any issues. But in some situations, with boots or casts that are high on your shin, you can develop a painful ‘hot spot’ at the upper edge of the boot or cast. We’re going to show you why this happens, and how to easily fix it, using the complementary cushioning pad you receive when you buy from kneecrutches.co.uk.

Problem

A painful hot spot can occur with some boots or casts.

Without a cast or boot, the front of your shin contacts the knee platform uniformly, as shown by the dotted line above.

Some boots or casts cause the shin above the boot or cast to be elevated so it doesn’t contact the Knee Platform. This concentrates most of your weight to the upper edge of the boot, which can result in a sore, tender area. Fortunately, there’s an easy solution.

Solution

Simply fill the unsupported gap with additional padding. We supply a free foam pad which you can use and reshape by trimming if necessary. Alternatively you can use a folded scarf or other means to build up this area. Build it up a bit higher than you think you’ll need – the foam will compress to the correct height. Experiment with what works best for your particular boot or cast. Another fix is to purchase a replacement Knee Platform Pad and cut it to the correct length. The peel and stick backing makes installation very quick and easy.

Although uncommon, sometimes it helps to add some extra padding at the back of the Knee Platform also. Try difference combinations until you find the one that you like the best.

Some boots have adjustable air bladders or other hardware mounted on the front of the boot. This hardware can sometimes interfere with proper interaction between the Knee Platform and the boot.

The solution is to disable the air bladder or obtain a boot that has the hardware mounted on the side. Ideally you have a semi-smooth surface on the front of the boot.