Preventing palm blisters while using crutches
Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2015 12:31 am
I use a single Dana Douglas forearm crutch with ergonomic hand grips. It's about to give up the ghost, but apparently they're not made anymore. The hand grip is rather wide and the medial support wing is closer to horizontal than to vertical. Because of the large surface area and the consequent distribution of pressure on the hands, it's very comfortable and offers secure support, especially if you have a weak grip as do I. I purchased a pair of Millennial Medical ergonomic fore arm crutches but there is a problem. The hand grips are smaller than on the D-D crutch and the wing is closer to vertical than to horizontal. Because of this and the subsequent position of my hand, I developed a blister at the base of my palm. Gloves are not a viable option for me, and because of the multi-contoured surface of the hand grip I don't think I can simply wrap it with some kind of gel foam product. I tried rotating the grip so the wing was more horizontal but it has a very limited range of motion although I was able to improve it slightly. I was thinking of applying Moleskin directly to the grip. Wondering if anyone has any suggestions or knows someplace that still sells Dana Douglas crutches.