Been sitting having coffee in our hospital foyer for the last 20 years and still see people wandering to and from the orthopods on armpit crutches. I guess it's for completely non-weight bearing situations.
Interesting.
As far as weightbearing goes, I understand that - probably up to a generation or two ago - forearm crutches were not (initially) designed to take one's full body weight. However, forearm crutches capable of taking full body weight have been manufactured for decades now.
I find it intriguing that the only country which still favours the armpit/axillary crutch over the forearm/elbow type is the US - everywhere else in the developed world, the forearm crutch is generally preferred, for a range of reasons.
The only real advantage of the axillary crutch over the forearm crutch would seem to be that an axillary crutch requires less upper body strength than a forearm crutch; on all other counts - correct posture, correct gait, energy expenditure, safety and ease of use on stairs, physical bulk, side-effects of incorrect usage (almost inevitable with axillary crutches) and probably other things too - the forearm/elbow crutch wins out.
Obviously if a patient has arm/elbow/hand issues/injuries, more thought will be needed, and personal preference/previous experience of the patient will also play a part.
