Demonstration for using a regular walker to go up stairs as presented to physical therapist assistant students at Kellogg Community College. PTA 110, 121.
This is a great conversation piece. That looks very, very dangerous. Being in this exact predicament, there is no way on this earth I could go up or down any stairs. I have mastered many things of late, but this is a recipe for disaster. One has to actually be or have been in that situation to realize how impossible that would be for most people who are in such a situation.
Not untrue, but we must remember that in fact there are many that *will* be able to manage this technique. Best to see at least some of the positives (if limited) in life and not only the negatives.
I yesterday did. Climbing down is easier and one should use single walker. Climbing up i did with single walker too but took help of a friend so once i climb up my walker should be firm on the florr so he helped to be it firm on the floor.
Thankou for sharing this video, Im in tears right now. Today I broke my right ankle in several places while learning how to ride a motorcycle. Im having surgery this week, the surgeon said It would take 3 to 6 months. Im trying to educate myself as much as possible to learn how to get around with a walker and crutches. I know it will take time to master the stares but thats the key word TIME, I cant rush myself. Thankyou so much. Cyndi
I m also gonna have ankle surgery in next 2 months. Share ur experience which is better walker or crutches? Non weight bearing.. Hence using walker.. But that proving difficult as good leg getting pain due to stress. How did u cope up? Pls Share ur experience on my email spk203@yahoo.in
Very neat and practical . Thank you. The trick is to be sure that the walker is absolutely stable and is used only for balance ..as in a point support...while the body weight goes on to the fixed support . Definitely not for children or old patients . But.... I broke my ankle and learnt to do this by myself anyway . It's easier than hopping on one foot all the way up or down ....plus .. someone has to fold the walker and get it up or down for you as well when you choose to hop . A lot of ppl don't seem to have liked this ..but I think it works . Also, going up the stairs is easier . Going down has to be very careful and unhurried .
Thank you once again for sharing the above. Aa briefed i initiate movement from my hip . Cannot raise my leg or bend my knee . Please guide me how to go about both ascending and descending the stairs
People you are supposed to be "lifting" not "jumping" up the step. If the patient is too uncoordinated or deconditioned to use crutches than using a walker is your only option if the patient has a stairs into their house. IF the PT or PTA doesn't deem the person fit to go home yet then they will keep the patient another night. If worse comes to worse than they can simply go up and down the stairs on their bottom. This is why it is so important to stay physically active and maintain good upper body strength. You should be at least able to do normal pushups and lift yourself from the ground with both arms and one leg.
I also agree that the walker is NOT meant to be used like that. I understand the need and the necessity for some people however if the locks that hold the walker in the open position fail who will be liable for showing this? I can pretty much guarentee that the walker manufaturer will say that they don't endorse this use of their walker. I prefer to teach them to go up and down on their butts - much safer. but sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do.
Thank you so much for sharing the above video. Very helpful indeed. In my case ( neuro problem) i use my hip muscle to initiate a movement. I cannot bend my knee so much. Left leg is very weak.
I have a walker and I've been hopping on one foot for months but anytime I've had to attempt stairs I literally crawl up them with my knee dragging my affected leg and to get down depending on the flight of stairs I either go down on my butt or the four to get to my back door I hold on to the handrail and I hopped down on my good foot but I do not attempt to use the walker on the stairs that is an accident waiting to happen
I had recently landed myself in a situation where I need to use crutches and a walker, busted my tibia n fibula, total non-weight bearing, and personally, I would *not* recommend using a walker like this. Crutches, sure, but a walker is designed to be used on a level hard surface, not stairs. I suppose it can be fenangled, but it's not worth the risk of re-injuring yourself. Just do like I do, the old scoot the butt trick. A little hard on the cheeks, but much safer than trying to do this. I'm just sayin'. Gotta be safe.
***** Yep, I have a disease which may eventually render me to weak to walk, but that would happen by degrees, and the first thing that would go would be the ability to climb or descend stairs. I already figured out that sliding on my butt will be the way to go, thinking I might bring along a piece of leather or some synthetic material to put down so I don't ruin clothes, then I can roll it up and put it in a day pack until I need it again.
Post surgery what's useful walker or crutches? How long did u use? Non-weight bearing pre surgery I m using walker. But good leg knee and heap started having pain. Pls share ur experience.. Email spk203@yahoomail.in
They kind of have to use this technique if they have no other options to get to the second floor. How else would the patient get the walker up the stairs when they're by themselves?
YoureWatchingBTV I wouldn’t be able to do that. My husband has to push me in a wheelchair up and down our 6 steps it’s sorta steep. He needs to rebuild them. I hate it when it rains or snows because he has a bad knee. I was looking so I can see if there’s a easier way. But it doesn’t look like there is.
That's a very clear video of a very difficult technique; I didn't expect you to be using non-weight bearing. Also, a clear demonstration of guarding techniques for the caregiver. Thanks.
This looks incredibly dangerous. For a walker like that and a person who isn't actually disabled, it looks just barely doable. If your non-injured hands and feet were strong enough to do this jumping motion, you would likely not have a walker but crutches. There is no way in hell my hands could support that much of my weight, and I haven't been able to hop in years. For a walker like mine that has wheels in the front, I would certainly fall. I go up the stairs on my butt and use a rope-pulley system to get the walker up after me. Much safer, and requires much less strength.
Feel free to have a look at the videos of the stair assistant AssiStep in our channel. It's a much safer solution than using walkers as support in the stairs. Best regards, The AssiStep-team.
What I teach patients to do is to put a small stool at the top of the stairs, one of those plastic kind. Then put a chair behind that. In effect, you are adding 2 steps to your flight of stairs, you bum up the stairs, bum up onto the stool from the floor, bum from the stool into the chair, and then you stand up from the chair, grab your walker or crutches, and walk away. So much easier than trying to get up off the floor if you're non-weightbearing or touch-weightbearing.
I got a challenge for you. About a month ago I broke my foot and had surgery on it. My stairs are on a sharp incline and my bed is up there. So I been sleeping on the couch the whole time. I don't know how to climb those stairs with my walker or a pair of crutches because the cut out for the stairs juts out about an inch over every step. My couch is killing my back and I feel stuck to it daily because of a non-weight bearing rule. Any idea how I could get to my bed for sleep instead of being stuck on the couch would be greatly appreciated. I have herniated discs, arthritis and let's face it the couch is making the pain worse.
+Arcane Hermithood I read you post and wondered how you managed? I was discharged from the hospital with almost identical issues (including a failed back surgery/fusion and broken titanium screw!). How did you manage the stairs? Did you end up sitting on your bum and scooting up and down? The no-weight bearing edict really limits your options!
+J. Neely To be blunt it was a pain in the ass but I managed. Yeah the back problems combined with several other issues can be a barrier I will admit, but I went to therapy to teach me how to do just that. It took a few days to get used to using crutches to climb stairs as for the walker I used that primarily on the first floor. When I needed to wash clothes I sat on the tub and dumped all my clothes in a garbage bag, dragged it outside and into the basement. As for cooking I broke every chair in my kitchen (as I was already over-weight) kneeling into them till I started using my desk chair to roll around in using the crutches for steering. It was fun in a way. For transporting food and drink I tied shopping bags onto the walker and sealed everything before packaging it for later. I live alone and from personal experience I hope you have friends and family that could help you because I wouldn't want to wish my predicament at the time on anyone. I been through worse but this is definitely a memorable moment for me. So if your having trouble with those stairs ignore the video and go ask a PT Therapist for help because it's better to learn first hand than watch videos. Sure they show you how it's done but it's your body and everyone is different which is why a therapist is recommended over a video where they clearly don't know what handicap is.
Wow! Thanks for the info. You are definitely the textbook definition of "survivor!" I'm much in the same situation as you, except that I do have a landlady -- she's an odd bird, 25 years older than I, who never had kids. She's definitely an A-type personality and likes ordering people around, me included. Previously, I haven't asked her to help me because the one time I did, it was a nightmare. However, a broken ankle is different, so I'm exchanging small niceties for a LOT of opinion. Adding to her personality is the fact last weekend she got a firm offer on selling the place I'm in, with an "out" date of 4-15. SURE. NO PROBLEM! LOL! Just call me "Superwoman!!" Adding to the fun is that I am on blood thinners for blood clots in my lungs. I have absolutely never smoked, yet I spent three weeks (separately) in the hospital last spring before they could figure out what was wrong with me. This time around, they didn't tell me until AFTER surgery that no one in the hospital had ever dealt with the combination of problems I have, much less performed surgery. Right. Nice. I could have bled out for nothing more than a minor ankle fracture just because they wanted to practice on me. I was not pleased, needless to say. Anyway, I think you are absolutely correct about PT advice. The people in this video aren't the ones who are going to pick me up off the floor when I break my other ankle! LOL! BTW, I'm also overweight and talk about a wake-up call. Hopping on one foot is something I stopped doing when I played hopscotch in elementary school. The "girls" and I don't do hopping very well and I'm afraid I'll end up with two black eyes with my boobs bouncing around so much! Haha! This is definitely not OK! So, thank you so much for the advice. I guess we should look on the bright side of things, at least you got new kitchen chairs!! :-)
I don’t think a walker was meant for this maneuver. This wouldn’t work for people with weak upper body strength. However if it works for others, power to you.
why not just use crutches if the patient is non weight bearing? crutches are easier to use, rather than a walker, for a non weight bearing patient climbing stairs
+Richard Hoeber because it's really hard on the underarms. also coordinating several limbs and 2 devices is a lot for some people. crutches are not for everyone.
every case must be assessed separately. no 2 people are the same. also, a patient's wishes are something to be considered. you may not recommend something, but that's fine. they may be determined. they will find their way with or with out your help. and that may include bumps, bruises and further injury, but that's part of life.
Please do not use this technique. The manufacturer of this walker would state in a court of law that this is not the intended purpose and you / your patient could be liable for financial or criminal charges associated with any accidents arising from this technique.
This walker has four static floor points. Where I am from typically they have two wheels and two static points. Obviously any with wheels can't do this as you do. Useless vlog.
This is a great conversation piece. That looks very, very dangerous. Being in this exact predicament, there is no way on this earth I could go up or down any stairs. I have mastered many things of late, but this is a recipe for disaster. One has to actually be or have been in that situation to realize how impossible that would be for most people who are in such a situation.
Not untrue, but we must remember that in fact there are many that *will* be able to manage this technique.
Best to see at least some of the positives (if limited) in life and not only the negatives.
I yesterday did. Climbing down is easier and one should use single walker. Climbing up i did with single walker too but took help of a friend so once i climb up my walker should be firm on the florr so he helped to be it firm on the floor.
Thankou for sharing this video, Im in tears right now. Today I broke my right ankle in several places while learning how to ride a motorcycle. Im having surgery this week, the surgeon said It would take 3 to 6 months. Im trying to educate myself as much as possible to learn how to get around with a walker and crutches. I know it will take time to master the stares but thats the key word TIME, I cant rush myself. Thankyou so much. Cyndi
How are you now Cyndi? Sorry for your accident.
I m also gonna have ankle surgery in next 2 months. Share ur experience which is better walker or crutches? Non weight bearing.. Hence using walker.. But that proving difficult as good leg getting pain due to stress. How did u cope up? Pls Share ur experience on my email spk203@yahoo.in
Very neat and practical . Thank you. The trick is to be sure that the walker is absolutely stable and is used only for balance ..as in a point support...while the body weight goes on to the fixed support . Definitely not for children or old patients . But.... I broke my ankle and learnt to do this by myself anyway . It's easier than hopping on one foot all the way up or down ....plus .. someone has to fold the walker and get it up or down for you as well when you choose to hop . A lot of ppl don't seem to have liked this ..but I think it works . Also, going up the stairs is easier . Going down has to be very careful and unhurried .
Thank you once again for sharing the above. Aa briefed i initiate movement from my hip . Cannot raise my leg or bend my knee . Please guide me how to go about both ascending and descending the stairs
this is great! looking now for ideas for getting a seated walker up and down
Walkers are not meant to bear weight on an angle like that and it is very possible that it could break as someone is hopping
thank you for making this video
People you are supposed to be "lifting" not "jumping" up the step. If the patient is too uncoordinated or deconditioned to use crutches than using a walker is your only option if the patient has a stairs into their house. IF the PT or PTA doesn't deem the person fit to go home yet then they will keep the patient another night. If worse comes to worse than they can simply go up and down the stairs on their bottom. This is why it is so important to stay physically active and maintain good upper body strength. You should be at least able to do normal pushups and lift yourself from the ground with both arms and one leg.
I also agree that the walker is NOT meant to be used like that. I understand the need and the necessity for some people however if the locks that hold the walker in the open position fail who will be liable for showing this? I can pretty much guarentee that the walker manufaturer will say that they don't endorse this use of their walker. I prefer to teach them to go up and down on their butts - much safer. but sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do.
Thank you so much for sharing the above video. Very helpful indeed. In my case ( neuro problem) i use my hip muscle to initiate a movement. I cannot bend my knee so much. Left leg is very weak.
I have a walker and I've been hopping on one foot for months but anytime I've had to attempt stairs I literally crawl up them with my knee dragging my affected leg and to get down depending on the flight of stairs I either go down on my butt or the four to get to my back door I hold on to the handrail and I hopped down on my good foot but I do not attempt to use the walker on the stairs that is an accident waiting to happen
I had recently landed myself in a situation where I need to use crutches and a walker, busted my tibia n fibula, total non-weight bearing, and personally, I would *not* recommend using a walker like this. Crutches, sure, but a walker is designed to be used on a level hard surface, not stairs. I suppose it can be fenangled, but it's not worth the risk of re-injuring yourself. Just do like I do, the old scoot the butt trick. A little hard on the cheeks, but much safer than trying to do this. I'm just sayin'. Gotta be safe.
***** Yep, I have a disease which may eventually render me to weak to walk, but that would happen by degrees, and the first thing that would go would be the ability to climb or descend stairs. I already figured out that sliding on my butt will be the way to go, thinking I might bring along a piece of leather or some synthetic material to put down so I don't ruin clothes, then I can roll it up and put it in a day pack until I need it again.
Post surgery what's useful walker or crutches? How long did u use? Non-weight bearing pre surgery I m using walker. But good leg knee and heap started having pain. Pls share ur experience.. Email spk203@yahoomail.in
what would you recommend for someone that couldn't use crutches? I had massive surgery on my lungs, ribs-- 7 weeks prior to knee surgery
Very helpful!
Can you do this using a walker with 2 wheels?
THIS IS RIDICULOUS WAY OF GETTING UP AND DOWNS STAIRS. DANGEROUS, WHAT WERE THEY THINKING ?...
They kind of have to use this technique if they have no other options to get to the second floor. How else would the patient get the walker up the stairs when they're by themselves?
YoureWatchingBTV I wouldn’t be able to do that. My husband has to push me in a wheelchair up and down our 6 steps it’s sorta steep. He needs to rebuild them. I hate it when it rains or snows because he has a bad knee. I was looking so I can see if there’s a easier way. But it doesn’t look like there is.
Da, am trăit acest fel de deplasare! 🧘 Dacă ești motivat și crezi în tine vei reuși! 👍👍
That's a very clear video of a very difficult technique; I didn't expect you to be using non-weight bearing.
Also, a clear demonstration of guarding techniques for the caregiver.
Thanks.
Thanks for tip
this is a helpful video but someone who needs a walker probably couldnt jump like that, it would be all in the arms
I broke my back and leg last week. I can hop with my semi good leg.
Watching from 🇧🇩
Howdoyoucomedown
Won't work for me my doesn't allow any knee bent.
Terima kasih 🙏🙏👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽
Thank you. Some just send you on your way
ermm clutches is the best way to go up stairs
Very useful
This looks incredibly dangerous. For a walker like that and a person who isn't actually disabled, it looks just barely doable. If your non-injured hands and feet were strong enough to do this jumping motion, you would likely not have a walker but crutches. There is no way in hell my hands could support that much of my weight, and I haven't been able to hop in years. For a walker like mine that has wheels in the front, I would certainly fall. I go up the stairs on my butt and use a rope-pulley system to get the walker up after me. Much safer, and requires much less strength.
Feel free to have a look at the videos of the stair assistant AssiStep in our channel. It's a much safer solution than using walkers as support in the stairs.
Best regards, The AssiStep-team.
How come hospital PT didn’t teach me this after THA?
My walker has front wheels. I can do the bum on stairs. Just don't know how to get up from the floor on my own.
What I teach patients to do is to put a small stool at the top of the stairs, one of those plastic kind. Then put a chair behind that. In effect, you are adding 2 steps to your flight of stairs, you bum up the stairs, bum up onto the stool from the floor, bum from the stool into the chair, and then you stand up from the chair, grab your walker or crutches, and walk away. So much easier than trying to get up off the floor if you're non-weightbearing or touch-weightbearing.
kathy balme thank you for response. I have a stool for the top of stairs. I lean on it then use good leg to get up.
👍 👍 👍
My walker has a pair of wheels on the front
Do any of these people have Parkinson
I got a challenge for you. About a month ago I broke my foot and had surgery on it. My stairs are on a sharp incline and my bed is up there. So I been sleeping on the couch the whole time. I don't know how to climb those stairs with my walker or a pair of crutches because the cut out for the stairs juts out about an inch over every step. My couch is killing my back and I feel stuck to it daily because of a non-weight bearing rule. Any idea how I could get to my bed for sleep instead of being stuck on the couch would be greatly appreciated. I have herniated discs, arthritis and let's face it the couch is making the pain worse.
+Arcane Hermithood I read you post and wondered how you managed? I was discharged from the hospital with almost identical issues (including a failed back surgery/fusion and broken titanium screw!). How did you manage the stairs? Did you end up sitting on your bum and scooting up and down? The no-weight bearing edict really limits your options!
+J. Neely To be blunt it was a pain in the ass but I managed. Yeah the back problems combined with several other issues can be a barrier I will admit, but I went to therapy to teach me how to do just that. It took a few days to get used to using crutches to climb stairs as for the walker I used that primarily on the first floor. When I needed to wash clothes I sat on the tub and dumped all my clothes in a garbage bag, dragged it outside and into the basement. As for cooking I broke every chair in my kitchen (as I was already over-weight) kneeling into them till I started using my desk chair to roll around in using the crutches for steering. It was fun in a way. For transporting food and drink I tied shopping bags onto the walker and sealed everything before packaging it for later. I live alone and from personal experience I hope you have friends and family that could help you because I wouldn't want to wish my predicament at the time on anyone. I been through worse but this is definitely a memorable moment for me. So if your having trouble with those stairs ignore the video and go ask a PT Therapist for help because it's better to learn first hand than watch videos. Sure they show you how it's done but it's your body and everyone is different which is why a therapist is recommended over a video where they clearly don't know what handicap is.
Wow! Thanks for the info. You are definitely the textbook definition of "survivor!" I'm much in the same situation as you, except that I do have a landlady -- she's an odd bird, 25 years older than I, who never had kids. She's definitely an A-type personality and likes ordering people around, me included. Previously, I haven't asked her to help me because the one time I did, it was a nightmare. However, a broken ankle is different, so I'm exchanging small niceties for a LOT of opinion. Adding to her personality is the fact last weekend she got a firm offer on selling the place I'm in, with an "out" date of 4-15. SURE. NO PROBLEM! LOL! Just call me "Superwoman!!" Adding to the fun is that I am on blood thinners for blood clots in my lungs. I have absolutely never smoked, yet I spent three weeks (separately) in the hospital last spring before they could figure out what was wrong with me. This time around, they didn't tell me until AFTER surgery that no one in the hospital had ever dealt with the combination of problems I have, much less performed surgery. Right. Nice. I could have bled out for nothing more than a minor ankle fracture just because they wanted to practice on me. I was not pleased, needless to say. Anyway, I think you are absolutely correct about PT advice. The people in this video aren't the ones who are going to pick me up off the floor when I break my other ankle! LOL! BTW, I'm also overweight and talk about a wake-up call. Hopping on one foot is something I stopped doing when I played hopscotch in elementary school. The "girls" and I don't do hopping very well and I'm afraid I'll end up with two black eyes with my boobs bouncing around so much! Haha! This is definitely not OK! So, thank you so much for the advice. I guess we should look on the bright side of things, at least you got new kitchen chairs!! :-)
I don’t think a walker was meant for this maneuver. This wouldn’t work for people with weak upper body strength. However if it works for others, power to you.
Definitely 100% safe 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Do watch me climb as well as descend the stairs with cast On my left broken leg.
Not safe at all ‘she can do it because she isnt hurt, when you have a real broken angle it doesn’t work 😕
Yes true iam an amputee
This is so dangerous technique if walker move she will fall down
Need more volume..
The instructor needed to be mic'd. It appears to me that one of her students recorded on their phone, not intending to post it on youTube.
Me after a leg day
Could have been better audio.
Could barely hear what you
Were saying.
why not just use crutches if the patient is non weight bearing? crutches are easier to use, rather than a walker, for a non weight bearing patient climbing stairs
+Richard Hoeber because it's really hard on the underarms. also coordinating several limbs and 2 devices is a lot for some people. crutches are not for everyone.
+rbccstmrtn it's a lot harder recovering from a fractured skull when that walker slips out from under you
life is full of risk, isn't it ;)
+rbccstmrtn ehhhh not something I'd be willing to risk with my patient and a possible lawsuit
every case must be assessed separately. no 2 people are the same. also, a patient's wishes are something to be considered. you may not recommend something, but that's fine. they may be determined. they will find their way with or with out your help. and that may include bumps, bruises and further injury, but that's part of life.
Hmm this is interseting...
Please do not use this technique. The manufacturer of this walker would state in a court of law that this is not the intended purpose and you / your patient could be liable for financial or criminal charges associated with any accidents arising from this technique.
For the many of you with the question of NO RAILINGS and SHALLOW porch step, I FINALLY found this: czcams.com/video/vd9JfQ6VLmI/video.html
Can't hear a thing. Personally, I'd fold that walker up and hop up the steps with it.
Don’t use a walker on stairs
NV a eda
Walker then BAD leg followed by Good leg
This walker has four static floor points. Where I am from typically they have two wheels and two static points. Obviously any with wheels can't do this as you do. Useless vlog.