For many handicapped persons, a walker is a must. Fresh out from the hospital and under treatment for some neuromuscular inflammatory disease or after being treated with leg or low waist injuries, these persons can be suffering temporary mobility impairment. While four-point crutches can also be used, walkers offer more stability.
Physical therapies to help them recover their walking balance and control use these walkers or walking frame. For most users, walkers are meant for temporary use by persons recuperating from a debilitating illness that impairs mobility and sense of balance.

A Short History

The current walker was first patented by a certain Andrejs Musiza, a Latvian immigrant to the US sometime after WWII. Its pioneering design consisted of a waist-high frame that surrounds the front and sides of the user and is about a foot deep and supporting the user’s weight on 4 points on the floor. The wrap-around design was meant to protect the user from falling sideways. The basic design endured over the years with various design innovation around it such as the slant and angle, lightweight materials and hand grip designs that make them more ergonomic.

Versatile Uses

There are walker variants designed for toddlers training to walk. They are necessarily circular framed surrounding the toddler to safely support standing as they move about. There are also walking frames for children adapted for kids suffering polio or have limited leg strength or balance problems.

There are now models that use wheels casters on front or back legs or all. A walking frame is meant to be thrown a few paces in front and the user walks to it while leaning over the walker, repeating the process to reach his/her destination. With wheels, the user just glides or pushes the walker ahead instead of picking it up every time. This certainly makes it easier for invalids with feeble arms.

While walkers are often prescribed in physical therapy sessions to help recuperating patients regain a temporary loss of mobility due to illness or injury to their leg muscles, they can also figure as permanent or alternative mobility solutions for people afflicted with life-long polio.

There are also walking frames for the elderly who suffer arthritic joint problems that make walking and standing over long periods difficult and dangerous for them without assistance. Walkers give them stability and some models have attachments for bags and trays for short distance visits to the corner drug or convenience store.