What to Look for in a Walker

When the time comes when your doctor says you or a loved one needs a medical walker, what is the best way to go about purchasing a walker that will work for you? Not all walkers are created identically, and not all walkers are universal. The implication is what works for some people will not work for all people.

You can buy sitter walkers on which you can sit or carry smaller items, although these are useful, most of the times when they are bought off a shelf these are not designed with safety in mind. This is the most reasonably priced style of medical walkers but some of these are cheaply made and are not suitable to everyone. There are weight limits to what you can carry on these walkers, and the locking method near the handles can be difficult to clasp for those people with low fine motor skills.

There are rolling walkers, which are a great value, and these have some safety features on them to prevent slippage. Some of these walkers have four wheels, while some have two wheels on the front with an anti-slider bar in place of the back wheels. The four wheeled walkers are great for those people who do not slip a lot however if the person tends to walk fast and slip then the anti slider bar walker is the way to go.

On some of these rolling walkers, I have seen many people use tennis balls instead of the back wheels. The use of these tennis balls provides more slid resistance then the anti-slide bar, because the tennis ball is textured with a non-slip material. The addition of the tennis balls also prevents the user from accidentally kicking the walker, where by the person trips him or herself.

A rolling walker with two wheels and an anti-slider bar in back is better suited for use with a wheelchair because the walker is more stable. Utilizing a four-wheeled walker to sit or stand in conjunction with a wheelchair can be tricky because those wheels will enable the walker to move and may cause a fall.

Another great benefit of the rolling walker is that these are adjustable to fit the person's height. Rolling walkers work the best when the person is able to stretch out their hands as they walk without bending over. These rolling walkers close at the touch of a button, set up quite easily, and are very durable.

There are many types of rolling walkers on the market today and your doctor or psychical therapist can tell you which is better suited for your particular needs.

You can visit the walker warehouse or a medical supply store locally to find the perfect walker for your needs. A good psychical therapist at one of those locations will also adjust your walker to the perfect height for your safety. You can always find walkers on sale but medical insurance will usually cover the cost of any medically necessary walker that your doctor prescribes.