iWALK3.0 – The Original Hands Free Knee Crutch - Alternative to Crutches and Knee Scooters - iWALK Replaces Crutches for Adults - Peg Leg Crutch For Lower Leg Injuries - See All Qualifications for Use - Not for Elderly or Balance Impaired

If you have an injury where you can not put weight on a foot & you are determined to remain independent - there is nothing else out there like this. About 10 days ago I broke my heel & needed emergency surgery. The common mobility aid choices out there are crutches, walker, knee scooter, & IWalk 3.0 as of this time. First, in order to use this, you have to be somewhat agile, have decent balance, be on decent shape, & be determined to be independent. If that describes you, I will tell you why this product is the best choice out there. If you are happy sitting around all day & having everything done for you, then you may want to skip this product. There is a small learning curve & you have to be determined to get over that hump & make it work for you. I was d/c from hospital with a walker & had crutches at home. Both of those things require you to hop & you are very limited the distance you can go & where you can go. Steps on those - basically forget it. I’m a 51 yo male in pretty decent shape, but not an athlete. Before my injury I regularly walked ~ 7 miles a few days a week for exercise. I received the IWalk, put it together, & carefully paid attention to the adjustments & the correct way to do them. It’s fairly easy to put together (easier than a knee scooter) & it’s critical you set it up correctly. I also purchased a knee scooter at the same time. I watched the videos & learned a bit about it before using. One thing I’d like to say is the manufacturer mentions you need to be able to balance on 1 foot for 30 seconds to use the IWalk. I didn’t find that anywhere near true. I didn’t attempt it, but I really doubt I could consistently balance on 1 foot unassisted for 30 seconds. I could probably do 10 seconds, or whatever any normal person could do. This is no way made using the IWalk more difficult. Once I strapped it on, it was pretty intuitive. I could right away take steps unassisted. There is a space on the crutch to rest your hand on the side your foot is injured. This is important. While you can use it hands free, just regularly walking around it’s easier (& safer) to slightly “lift” the crutch with your hand and you step forward with it. If you don’t do this & are not paying attention, every once in a while you will misjudge lifting the crutch & the super sticky rubber foot will catch the ground as you left off & cause a “stutter” - like you you stepped on a shoe lace. This is easily avoided my either paying close attention when hands free or simply slightly lifting the crutch as you walk with your hand. There are 3 straps that hold this crutch to your leg. You want them TIGHT. Obviously, not cutting off your circulation, but tight enough that the crutch is one with your leg. A loose crutch can also cause this “stutter”. I will tell you in 10 days I have used this crutch heavily on all types of surfaces: uneven pavement, grass, steps, curbs, wet ground, etc & have not fell once. Once you master it, it will allow you to basically do anything you can do prior to your injury - it just takes longer. If done as directed, you can easily go up & down steps (with a railing). Low curbs can be done without holding on to anything & high curbs can be done with the aid of a can on holding on to something. If you’ve watched the videos, you can see all the things people can do with this crutch. They are 100% accurate. You just have to put in a little time to master it. The reason I sent the knee scooter back was it’s useless for stairs & it’s a big footprint so turning around is slow. The IWalk fixes all that. I was able to walk 2.25 miles around my neighborhood unassisted with just the crutch (see photo). I am able to easily get in & out of my truck, drive alone, & go places alone with the crutch (left foot injury). A small car may be more effort - but it’s certainly doable. You just get in your vehicle leaving the crutch leg hanging out & unstrap it while sitting on the seat, the place it it the vehicle. Once you’ve arrived you install it the reverse & you are free to go. I’ve been to the supermarket, post office, UPS store, convenience store, gas station, etc - all unassisted doing any normal activity with the crutch. You can stand alone unassisted (like waiting in line) once you master it. In fact, I even packed up my scooter in the huge box it came in, walked it out to my truck, placed it in the back seat, & walked into the UPS store carrying the scooter box using the IWalk. All unassisted. Once I realized with the IWalk can do - I knew the scooter was useless to me & going back to return. Ok, so some realistic advice. Some people short the IWalk because they say it’s a lot to take on & off. Well, I found if you are just going to the bathroom or something, you really just need to fasten the middle strap. It’s probably not the best idea, but I’ve even used it with no straps just to go a short distance. Again, I have not fell once. The crutch is built very well for the price point - it’s actually pretty brilliant. Honestly, working in the medical field, this thing could sell for 10x as much & still be worth it. It’s the only solution that allows you to do everything you did prior, it’s just slower & you need to take a bit more care. You just have to be motivated to do it. The more you use it, the easier it gets. The foot is a super grippy type rubber. Stickier than a sneaker. It really does not slide even on a wet surface. I use this to get in & out of a walk on shower very carefully with no problems. Surprisingly, even after being on your feet for a very long time(hours) my knee & shin was a little fatigued - but did not hurt. More like I needed a rest. I have yet to have any hip issues with it. Some tips: 1. Adjust & tighten everything correctly. Watch all the videos & pay attention. 2. Keep your eye on the ground in front of you & on the crutch foot. This helps a lot. Use a cane or a crutch to help the first time you use it to get the hang of it. 3. The straps have 2 adjustments - a long term & a short term cinch strap that allows you to get in & out of the crutch quick. Once you get the “long term” adjustment correctly- sew that part of the strap in that position. It does tend to loosen up over time & it’s a lot quicker if you don’t have to keep tightening that adjustment & the quick adjustment. 4. Periodically check everything on the crutch is tight. There are a few screws on the foot, the hip adjustment, & a clamp on the ankle part that can come loose. Just check them every 2 days or so. 5. As the directions say, make the hip adjustment high, it’s more stable. 6. Always hold on to something going up & down a curb or steps. I’ve learned to negate this on a high curb using a cane. Going down steps backwards is easier, especially if it’s many steps. 7. If you are on any type of uneven terrain - make very small steps. The smaller the steps the more in control you are. I was even able to go up a big muddy grass hill ok doing this. 8. Don’t swing doors & car doors behind you to close them. Turn around & close the door facing it. This makes it so you will now swing the door shut on your bad foot. 9. Only use hands free if you need to. Otherwise, hold the built in handle as I described before when making steps as a habit. Again, this thing is really a game changer. You just have to master it & take your time. 11/23/23 ******************* Below is an update/ edit. It’s now about 7 weeks I’ve been using the iWalk. I’ve used it quite extensively. In fact, I’ve been on it at work 8 hours without sitting down once. I’ve walked 4+ miles non stop with it. I’ve brought it on vacation to a tropical area outside the country where the temperature was 100 degrees F & the humidity is very high. I’ve worn it on the beach. It’s been exposed to salt water. I’ve walked on cobblestone streets, high curbs, wet sand, grass, dirt/mud, wet floors / wet cement / wet asphalt, & almost anything else that is out there. I’ve got it soaking wet from being caught in the rain. It’s been on 4 airplanes & through security at multiple airports. It’s literally been dropped & thrown all over many times. I hope the manufacturer of iWalk reads this - I have a few things that I think may be helpful…. 1. The knee / shin pad story… I’ve spent hours standing / walking with the iWalk without sitting or taking it off. I wore out the original knee pad ~ 2 weeks. The pad is foam & the foam compresses & doesn’t relax; providing significantly less “cushion”. This makes it feel like you are kneeling on hard plastic & makes a huge difference in the comfort experience & length of time you can use the crutch consecutively. Hours can go to minutes once the foam pad is worn out. I used it (too much) with the worn out foam pad & eventually got a pressure blister + significant soreness on my knee / shin before a new one arrived. The new pad helped, but we are dealing with dense foam that is about 1” thick if that. Even with the new pad, I already caused some topical soft tissue injury to my knee & shin from overuse of the crutch with worn out pad - so it still hurt even with the new pad. However, I did find a solution. The solution is to trace out the original knee/shin pad from the iWalk w/ 4” memory foam, cut it out, and use it as a “buffer pad” between your shin/leg & the stock iWalk pad. I happened to have an old memory foam mattress topper - which works perfect. You can likely buy 4” memory foam on Amazon, or bite the bullet & buy the smallest 4” memory foam mattress topper you can find - then you can make additional pads. You simply sit your new memory foam buffer pad on top of the stock iWalk pad & affix it with 2 loops of quality medical tape going around the whole iWalk knee platform. You want the tape to slightly compress the foam just enough to hold it in place. This makes it much easier than having your new foam “buffer pad” fall off every time you remove the iWalk. iWalk needs to provide a pad like this or offer explicit instructions on making one. It makes a night & day difference. Even with prior knee/shin irritation I can again use iWalk several hours continuously comfortably. I feel like the iWalk is priced very reasonably. I think they should raise the price & provide a pad like this & another stock type pad stock with the crutch. You need 2 pads for extended use. One dense core & one very open core that can compress a lot (memory foam). This provided a comfortable interface for your leg & the crutch. For light use the stock pad is sufficient until it wears out. My iWalk has seen rain, high humidity, & high temperatures. The few tiny Velcro circle pieces that retain the foam knee pad to the knee platform became unglued on the pad and the crutch after a lot of use & moisture. I was able to re-glue the Velcro w/ Krazy Glue - bit a few wer lost. I feel iWalk could make a huge improvement by securing the pad with a much larger strip of Velcro & either improving the adhesive or providing replacement pre-cut pieces of self adhering Velcro with the crutch & charging you a few & more $. I fixed this by using Krazy Glue to adhere additional Velcro to the pad & knee platform. I lost one of the 3 foam strips that pad between your upper thigh/hip area & the crutch from the adhesive failing. I again cut out a piece of memory foam affixed it with glue this time. iWalk does sell replacements. However, memory foam is much thicker & provides much better comfort to the upper thigh. I feel iWalk could benefit by providing a thicker foam here (maybe 1”) & providing an additional set with the original purchase. It could only cost a few $ more & iWalk is so inexpensive for what it is a slight price increase wouldn’t hurt. Also, if you are in a long boot this will interfere with the iWalk knee platform. It can cause discomfort - especially if the boot has protrusions in the front. The solution is to use 4” memory foam as needed on the platform to shim/raise the boot so the protrusions aren’t hitting the knee platform. You will have to experiment. A short boot does not contact the crutch - so no problem there. I’d recommend a short boot with iWalk if possible. 2. The fasteners… There are many threaded fasteners that hold the crutch together. They do come loose with significant use. Theoretically, one could come out causing a fall. I’m sure iWalk tells you to re-check them periodically. I found that applying Loctite to the threads & making them as tight as possible by hand once you are happy with your adjustments will keep them tight long term. Also, there are plastic/metal cotter pin like “c-clips”at some of the adjustment points. I found extensive bumping around could possibly knock one out if you hit it just right. This isn’t a design issue, I feel like the design is adequate & good. Just as a precaution, I recommend wrapping them in electrical tape so they can not become unfastened no possible way by accident - especially the “c-clip” that’s in a blue plastic retainer “cage” that holds lowest main pole height/leg adjustment. The plastic retainer cage did come unclipped on its own somehow a few times & started to get a little mangled. Realizing loosing/damaging one of these clips means I’d loose my mobility until I got a replacement - I wrapped them all in tape to avoid any possibility of this happening. In a perfect world IWalk could re-design that lowest “c-clip” retainer cage somehow so it doesn’t use plastic; however I feel the current design is not a major issue. 3. The squeak… After a while the crutch will squeak. It’s not picky - but you will find it annoying. 95% of the noise comes from where the lowest pole goes into the plastic foot assembly. You can simply add oil around the lowest perimeter of the pole & it will sink into the plastic foot & stop the noise. It lasts about a week - then repeat. —— > Other than the foam pad(s), nothing on the crutch has failed after extensive use. The rubber “sneaker” tread is getting worn out, but they sell replacements. Walking on wet / slippery surfaces is almost as doable as doing the same with 2 feet as long as you are aware the surface is line that. If you are daring you can go up & down high curbs without assistance or holding on to anything once you get the hang of it. Steps will need a railing to go down forwards, or at least a wall to stabilize yourself to go down backwards. Backwards is better, depending what side your injury is & what side railing is on. Safely carrying multiple heavy bags or picking up heavy items is doable. It’s a good idea to keep your eye on the crutch foot if possible when walking. Small steps make it much safer over any uneven terrain. It’s a very good product that allows you to do about anything someone could do with 2 good feet. The only real area it could use some refinement is the knee pad.

I recently badly tore my right hand Achilles Tendon and have just had repair surgery. I knew that I would mean "no weight bearing" on my lower right leg for quite a few weeks after surgery. As an extremely active person I was facing this with dread! I borrowed a knee scooter from a friend of mine and the surgery center supplied me with a pair of standard crutches. It only took me a few hours on these to start hitting the internet for a better crutch/mobility system! I happened upon the "I-Walk" hands free crutch here on Amazon. Boy, am I glad I did! I carried out the questionnaire on the I-Walk website to find out if the I-Walk was for me. And apart from being a bit on the old side at 69 it seemed the I-Walk would work for me. Luckily I am very fit and athletic (I tore my Achilles Tendon water-skiing!) . I ordered the I-Walk for Prime delivery the following day and went to the I-Walk website and watched all the videos on how to assemble, fit and use the I-Walk. The videos are very good and are a must see if you are thinking of getting an I-Walk. Once you have the I-Walk set up correctly you can put in and take it off in less than 30 secs. The instructions that come with the I-Walk are comprehensive and well written. They are easy to understand if you have seen the company videos first. First impression is that the I-Walk is well designed and built from quality components. Having gotten the I-Walk assembled and fitted it was with trepidation that I took my first few steps. I also used a walking stick as a confidence booster. It is actually quite easy. The instructions say that once you start, keep walking which I did for about five minutes. The art is to forget you are wearing the I-Walk and walk normally. If you have good balance you will master it in no time! And now you have both hands free! You can cook, make a cup of coffee, do the washing, clean the house!. I even go out in the yard and play fetch the ball with my dog. The following morning after practicing around the house for a while I noticed my good leg getting tired. Back to the instructions which explained that this was because I am limping and (naturally) favoring the good leg. More practice at forgetting the I-Walk is on and walking normally soon cured this. Next came the stairs. Using the handrail I went up one stair at a time leading with my good leg. Fairly easy but you need the help of the handrail. Then back down one step at a time leading with the I-Walk. A little more difficult but it comes easy after a bit of practice. You may have to come downstairs with your I-Walk leg slightly sideways to stop your foot that is following from catching on the stairs. Again, watch the videos! If you can't remember what foot to lead with going up and down stairs, remember "Up is good" . It is far safer using stairs on a I-walk than using regular crutches! A great thing about the I-Walk is that you still get to use and exercise the upper leg and hip on your damaged leg in a normal way. I made the attached video two days after surgery. I think it shows how quick and easy it is to use the I-Walk. Things to watch when using the I-Walk. 1. Uneven ground. I have to be very careful when I go out on my gravel driveway and take a stick for extra security. 2. Keep the straps tight. The I-Walk has to become part of you leg and the straps need to very tight to achieve this. 3. Don't try to drive with it on. You'd be pretty stupid to even try! 4. Using the bathroom requires a bit of athletic dexterity! I installed a toilet seat riser with handrails which makes it a lot easier. If you have had a lower leg or ankle injury you need one of these. The price on Amazon Prime is very good for a quality piece of equipment. Is it for you? Carry out the questionnaire on the I-Walk website first. If you are fit and can balance on your good leg for over 30 seconds it will probably work. If you are a 250lb couch potato, no. Update. I am into my fourth week of "no weight bearing" after my Achilles tendon repair surgery. The I-Walk has made this bearable! I have been able to make the bed, cook dinner, and be a good "house husband" while I'm home. I have even been able to spend some time working on my vintage British sports car! I have found the I-Walk it to be very comfortable. The foam on the knee pad compresses to the shape your knee and shin and cradles your knee and shin well. Other reviewers have complained of chafing from the straps. I have been wearing shorts all the time I have been using the I-Walk and have not had any chafing problems or soreness caused by the straps. As the instructions say "keep the straps tight". Having any looseness in the straps make walking a lot harder! The straps do come loose over a period of time and will need to be re-adjusted. Not a major problem and a small price to pay for the freedom the I-Walk gives you. The strap on the front vertical tubes that you push your knee up against keeps moving around. I fixed this by putting cable ties around the vertical tubes at the top and bottom of the strap. (see picture). Other than this I really can't find any faults with the I-Walk it is a superbly engineered device. I'll repeat what I said in my original review . If you have had a lower leg or ankle injury you need one of these! It will give you your freedom back! Update. After four weeks on the I-walk my orthopedic doctor now allows me to weight bear on the leg and I am now using a recovery boot. My doctor was amazed at how quickly I had recovered from the surgery. After some thought he said that using the I-Walk for a month has kept my upper leg moving as normal unlike using regular crutches or a knee scooter. This has kept a good blood flow throughout the leg and has probably speeded up my healing. This is a great benefit of using the I-Walk. I have now put the I-walk away as I no longer need it and it was like saying goodbye to an old friend! Thank you I-Walk!

This has been a godsend for me. It allows me to be hands free and I can do housework, prepare meals, and walk unassisted. Comfort: this is the one area for improvement. The padding for the knee and thigh could be improved. My shin gets very sore when I use it - I have so add cushioning and even that doesn’t help a whole lot. Also the padding for the straps needs to be redesigned - especially behind the knee. Once again I have to supplement with other padding. Fit: I am a 5’10” male in good health. I had no trouble fitting it. After using it I did practice adjusting the length (some days it feels a bit short and other times a bit long). But that’s easy to do. I also had to experiment with the upper leg adjustment. But I was able to do it. Mobility: this is the greatest part. I can go up and down stairs (note that they suggest going backwards down the stairs and making sure you have a handrail - definitely a must). I have been able to walk extended distances unassisted. I have a well trained small dog and I walk her every day into town and back. As part of that I have to go down a hill and back up. That’s a challenge but doable. Balance: I have pretty good balance in general, so with practice I have been able to walk confidently. I suggest at first you have someone next to you or even hold their hand while you walk. It took a couple of days. This is where you HAVE to practice and hang in there. It’s easy to get discouraged and give up. But I realized with a five week recovery and no weight bearing it would be worth it and it is. Getting on and off: This is another thing that needs practice. I was determined to figure out how to do this quickly, and I now I can remove it less than 30 seconds and get it back in less than a minute. The most important thing I learned: when adjusting for fit make SURE the outer (shorter) blue strap is extended to its max. That is the one you will be using to tighten and remove. I eventually found it pretty easy to pull up on the grey latch and loosen it. Make sure you then release it all the way when you take it off. Now that I figured it out it’s amazing how easy it is. Overall: If you put your mind to it I think it can work for most people. I have seen reviews that people with bad knees or back issues have a problem. That’s understandable. But I walk about a half mile into town down a hill and back up with my dog every day. I even have been on the dance floor (see video - make sure no one hits your bended leg). I will say the thigh you rest on the device does get tired if you walk longer distances. But I can’t imagine how I would I function at home without this. Standing on one leg to wash or brush my teeth or trying to get some food is almost impossible without this. Overall I’d say give it a try and make sure you give it a few days to see how it works - practice makes perfect. And return it if you have an issue. I love it but nothing works for everyone.

It’s a great idea - and it does give you lots of ability to STAY INDEPENDENTLY MOBILE for LONG PERIODS OF TIME - meaning, it’s great if you need to clean the house (provided you are sturdy and well-balanced enough). No, you won’t be able to walk your pet on the street nor horse in the estable as shown here unless you have circus-level acrobatic dexterity. Just one tug forward on the leash from your pooch, and you’ll be flying into the ground face first. I’d say you can walk Fido if he is either a 5 pound a toy dog or a VERY well behaved average size dog that won’t tug. Else, you’ll likely be smashing face first into the ground. It doesn’t take a pet tugging on you for this to happen though. Occasionally, the rubber ‘foot’ at the bottom will get ‘stuck’ against the tile or, worse, carpet in your home and you’ll have many scares, so you have to walk slowly. No rushing with this. If you just need to get from the bed to the bathroom for a second to pee or brush your teeth, or to the kitchen for a quick snack, this may not be your best option. The mere act of strapping it on can be a mission not worth the effort and time to walk just a few steps. Working the straps is not the easiest thing when trying to put them on or take them off if you want to adjust them tight enough for it not to wobble on your leg as you walk and for you to stay stable and safe. Thus, yours hardly the most efficient way to walk from the bed to the toilet or a dining chair because you can’t in any way sit down while wearing it; and the hassle of putting it on and taking it off for just a few steps is not worth it. A walker or crutches would be way more practical in these scenarios. Now, lest not forgot the car - needles to say, if can’t even sit at home with it, you can’t even get it past the car door (it’s not intended to). Best you can do is put it on to walk to the car (especially if you need to carry things) but you also need to bring your crutches so that after you’ve manage to take it off and put it either in trunk or back seat, you have the trusty crutches to get you back into the driver door and back out again all the way to rear door or trunk to take it out and put it back on. The item has been made with quality in mind. It’s undeniably a quality product, yet the cushion, which one can tell has had a great deal of design and thought put into it, is still painful and far from perfect. Cushion has sections separated by ridges (guessing they were trying to accommodate most people), and an unnecessary LOGO relief that has been imprinted right where you’d bear all your body weight on the knee, and the ridges and logo eat away at your skin. The cushion, along with the release straps still need some more thoughtful redesign for less intrusion into the skin and achieve TRULY QUICK-RELEASING SNAPS that don’t require squeezing your leg to death in order to snap on/off. Ideally, a 4.0 version would have BETTER quick release snaps and would somehow either be fully collapsable for easier carrying and or to allow to at least momentarily sit at the toilet or dining chair for a quick snack without having to fully take it off only to realize you forgot your drink, and then your pills LOL.

This thing is amazing. Does it look weird? Yes! Will you get tons of 'looks' and questions? Yes! Is it the best thing since sliced bread? yes! Oh my gosh, it was a lifesaver for me. I had crutches first and almost feel 3 times. The last time I started to fall, I ended up landing on my broken foot! Ouch! That was the end of the crutches. I was going to rent a knee scooter, but then decided to look around on amazon and see which one I wanted. One reviewer mentioned the iWALK, and so of course, I checked out all those reviews. I decided to go for it. This is a long review. I will give pros and cons. I paid full price, no one has required me to write a review. I just wanted to share my experience with it. Most important. I think you need to be in decent shape, and flexible to be able to use this properly. You will need to be able to bend over and stay balanced to tighten the straps. You will use your hips to move the leg, so you may be a little sore at first. Its using different muscles than you normally use to walk. If you are shy, this is not for you. People talk to you and ask questions all day long! 1. The setup/fitting takes a while. You want it to fit right, so spend the time getting it perfect - it will pay off later. Read the instructions and follow them exactly. Have someone help you! Its hard to do alone especially if you have a broken foot. There are height adjustments, width adjustments, strap adjustments. It does take about 30 minutes to get it fitted. Dont get frustrated, just go step by step. The straps should be tight. If they are too loose your leg will not be secured to the iWALK and it will make it harder to walk around 2. Its a strange feeling at first. Give it 5 minutes and you will feel pretty steady. Your head wont want to accept it, but you really can just walk and move around like with a normal leg. The best part of this thing is that you will have your hands free! Practice walking around your house, seriously, it only took about 5 minutes before I felt pretty comfortable with it. 3. Removal takes about 10 seconds. Just loosen and unhook straps and its off. Once you get the hang of putting it back on, it maybe takes 20 seconds. Just remember to tighten the straps. 4. Its lightweight. Not sure how much it weighs, but you can easily throw it into the car. I would walk to the car with it on, sit on the seat facing out, unstrap the iWALK, then remove it. Put it in the seat next to me (just by picking it up while I am still sitting in the seat). It really is not heavy. That was my one concern with the knee scooters - they are not as light and easy to move around. 5. Attention from others. From the front it looks like youre an amputee - you get lots of pity looks until they see that your leg is actually still there. Friends were calling me Peg Leg. I would get stopped many times a day by people asking about this awesome contraption. It didnt bug me, but it may bug you if you dont like talking to strangers. 6. Durability. I used this for 6 weeks. The bottom 'foot' has a vibram sole and it still in great condition. The straps are still in great condition. The pad on the 'shelf' is wearing a little, and probably from my boot rubbing on it, the foam is condensed in areas. I dont know if its replaceable, but I am could still use this if I need it again. But I would try to get a replacement pad if not using it with a boot (its lumpy where the boot indented it). Anyway, other than the pad the whole thing looks almost brand new. 7. Stairs/Hills/grassy areas. This is not too easy to use on stairs, but it can be done. Its very unnerving to trust the pegleg to support you on stairs, although I am 100% sure it would .My brain would not allow me to do it. I could easily up/go down a step, but not my full staircase at home. When going up stairs lead with your good foot, when going downstairs, lead with the pegleg. Hills are rough too - just need to use more muscles to balance. Its not impossible, just more strenuous. Grassy areas are a little scary because your brain doesnt 'feel' anything with the pegleg on so its a little strange of a feeling. I just stuck to sidewalks. I hope this review helps. I loved it, and would not hesitate to use one again. It made life so much easier and I felt much more secure with the iWALK vs crutches!

I'm giving the iwalk a 5 star review because it does exactly what it is advertised to do! But I'm also going to give you all of the positive and negatives things I've found about using this device. First about me: I'm a 51 year old who just had planned reconstructive foot surgery. I'm not in great shape. When I read all of the requirements for use, I'm boarderline eligible - but I decided to give it a go. I waited about a week after my surgery to try to use the iwalk. I watched all the videos - putting it together, adjusting, learning how to walk - and followed all the instructions. Assembly - very straight forward. The only hiccup i had was identifying the strap with the large cushion goes in the crook of your knee. I missed that in the video... Learning curve - I was able to walk without holding onto anything within ten minutes. Reality of using this device: 1. Once all adjusted, putting it on takes me about a minute. That doesn't sound long... but if you need to get somewhere quickly (i.e. bathroom - and more on that later)... it can be long. Also, I never put it on without something to lean on. 2. Walking - on hard smooth surfaces is the easiest. Carpet - the foot does drag - and I have lots of plush/shag type carpet. I need to keep my hand on the top of the device to make sure it lifts enough. 3. Comfort level - once on, it is comfortable. You will need to re-tighten occasionally. The blue straps (those that you tighten each time you put it on) I give an extra tug to the top one around my thigh fairly often. The black straps (which should be "permanently" set) do need the occasional adjustment and I've accidentally loosened when taking the iwalk off instead of the blue straps (cue cussing). I wear shorts and the platform that you put your lower leg on does leave some indentations - but no discomfort. 4. Safety - For the most part I feel safe using the iwalk. As I said, I'm not in the best shape, and my balance and leg strength in my good leg are not the best. I have not had any trips or falls using it. However, I prefer to be close to something I can put my hand on in a pinch (wall, counter, bannister...). Walking across an open parking lot is my least favorite thing to do with it on. For me, I would never use it for walking the dog! 5. Stairs - I have a split level house - so my biggest need was to be able to get up and down stairs and that's the most use I get out of it. I do hold on to the banister TIGHTLY as I go down (backwards) - I'm less worried going up. After 2+ weeks, I'm able to hold something in my off hand while on the steps. But I was holding both banisters or the wall going down at first. 6. Sitting - I do NOT sit with the iwalk on. It causes me to put pressure on the injured foot which is not what my surgeon wants. Ladies - you HAVE to take it off to go to the bathroom! Straps make it impossible to pull your pants down. All this being said - I'm VERY happy with my purchase. The iwalk works well - gives me much more freedom than hopping with a walker (with a ton less energy needed). It allows me to get around my house. While I'm not up to sweeping the floors (shown in one video), I do cook, do dishes and I was cooking on the bar-b-que last weekend.

I have been using the iWALK 2.0 for about two months. I broke my fibula (spiral fracture) right above the ankle. The first two weeks I was not able to use this crutch because my bone was still too tender to deal with the jostling of movement. However, after two weeks, I haven't used regular crutches at all, only the iWALK. It is very securely built, and it has given me SO much freedom! Regular crutches make so many things near impossible - carrying items is not even in the equation (unless i put it in a cross-body bag or carry it in my mouth!). I am lucky to have a great husband who has taken on so many of my responsibilities, but psychologically, it can be very hard to not be able to do things myself. This crutch makes it so much easier to be independent. I can clean the litter box, make quick meals, and go up and down stairs (I live in a walk-up - 30 steps). The straps are quick to put on and take off (you HAVE to use the gray side and use the inner gray plastic tab to loosen it before removing, or it's impossible). However, when I make short trips, like to the bathroom (like less than 15/20 feet), I sometimes don't use the straps and just walk a bit more slowly, using the handle at the top, and I haven't had issues. Keep in mind, this is a crutch, not a prosthetic leg. I definitely have a pirate/penguin hobble walk, and I can't go fast like in the commercials. I think those commercials disheartened me because the users/actors go so fast and do so much, like carrying children. I do not feel stable enough to carry a child, but I always pick up my cats - if they fall, they'll land well! Even two months in, I prefer to hold the handle, as the foot can sometimes snag on rough pavement or carpet. Rarely do I walk with both hands free, but I don't often need to. I think it would be hard to have the straps tightened enough and still be comfortable to walk without the handle all the time. It's pretty quick to take on and off - I take city buses and taxis and once I've learned how long it takes to get on and off, it hasn't been an issue. Things that might annoy you: -It's a bit heavy. It'd be great if they could use a lighter metal. -The padding gets shot after 2-3 weeks. To remedy this I used eggshell foam and cut it to size. I make the pad thicker towards the front to balance out the difference between cast and my exposed knee. I put the foam pad in an old nylon stocking to keep it folded the way I like. It doesn't often fall out of the cradle. -You can't wear skirts without looking a little crazy, since the straps make it bunch up. I'm using it between Nov. and Feb. in NYC, so it's too cold for skirts anyhow. The straps might chafe if you're wearing shorts. I've stuck to yoga pants, so this isn't an problem for me. I have strapped in on in just my skivvies for household things and it was fine since I only do short distances like that. -It is so unique that people EVERYWHERE will stop and ask you about it. I walk a total of 3 short city blocks on my commute to work, and I swear, almost every time I get a comment or three. At this point in my journey, I have the patience to deal with all the inquiries. However, when I was still dealing with anger and sadness about my injury and all the things that have had to change because of it, I did NOT have the patience for seven inquiries when I just wanted to catch a cab and go home to elevate my leg. I have taken to wearing big headphones to ward off some comments, many times with nothing actually playing! Even still, I got two inquiries on this morning's ride, but am now patient enough to realize people are just curious and/or trying to express concern for me - they're not trying to be annoying. HOWEVER - if you got injured in a traumatic way (like an attack, etc.) you would really not want to answer 9,000 stranger about the details of your injury. And children will think you're some kind of pirate. :) -Because this is a crutch and not a prosthetic, it's hard to have a natural walking motion or stance, which can cause some back/hip pain. Even so, none of these issues keep me from absolutely loving the iWALK. No, I would mow a lawn or do surgery like in the online commercials, but I can do the dishes, make soup and look after myself. This would be a total must-have for people living by themselves. My husband was away one weekend, and I was able to take care of me and my cats just fine. Also, if you have to deal with stairs, it's really great, since wheelchairs and knee rollers are useless for that. (Like other reviewers have said, I prefer to descend stairs facing sideways or backwards.) In all, this is a fabulous product that I could not see living without! It really increases your mobility and independence, which is critical for mental well-being.

It is a hassle to put together and get adjusted but once you do it is ok and works as intended. max weight is 275 marked on it but i am over 300 and it is well built enough for me. The problem is the groove in the pad for lower leg is tiny and has no room for a cast or leg wrap even if your leg is small. I am not a fan of the main leg support part being injection moulded plastic but it is strong enough i guess. The real problem that is not talked about with this is you cannot sit down or stand up with it on, and it is a hassle to put on and take off. your leg is strapped in and stuck at that position but the straps are quick to remove with a pull on the belt buckle and then slide the connector off. putting it on is the reverse with putting connector on and then pulling the blue side of belt tight. It is far better than walking up stairs or crawling on hands/knees up and down stairs. you will need to use a hand on a railing for support though and make sure to go one step at a time with non-injured leg first. if going down stairs i recommend going backwards in the inverse of going up with peg leg down step first.