Fitting
the Tubes….
Careful fitting is absolutely essential.
Although the Design Control & Testing for CE marking proved that stability
was not substantially impaired while achieving the all day, every day benefits
of increased comfort, particular care must be taken when using C9s on crutches
in extreme situations, such as when using the crutches on ice.
Customers accept that they use C9s
under such circumstances at their own risk, and they take full responsibility
for careful fitting and testing before full use.
It
is best if fitting is done in the evening, giving overnight for fixing to
take place. Users MUST ensure that full stability is restored before full
use. It is safest (to avoid catching and tearing) to rotate the tube gently
back and forward as it is drawn onto the handle, especially over the ridge
at the end, once lightly lubricated using a cloth or paper towel (see below).
The inner tube “needs”
to be difficult to fit in order to be stable in use, and although lubricants
are required in practice to apply the tube, it is vital that such lubricants
dry quickly (or even better become positively sticky). During testing and
from customer feedback it is apparent that Washing Up Liquid is an ideal
lubricant. This is used to lightly coat the surface of the handle but making
sure the rim at the end is slightly more generously coated (tip: many also
lightly coat the first centimetre of the “inside” surface of
the rubber tube), where the tube is first forced to stretch over the first
and widest part of the crutch handle. Again this helps avoid any tearing.
Any residual Liquid should be washed and dried from your hands before fitting.
With patience and care, tubes can be fitted perfectly and without damage…
normally within 4 or 5 minutes per pair. The product should not be used
until the C9 has become fixed in place after at least one hour, other than
gentle use where any slight twisting of the handle will not cause problems.
On later returning hospital-dispensed
crutches to A&E or Orthopaedic Centres, please remove C9s entirely and
thoroughly clean off any residual material (eg, dried lubricant).
Crutch Types (Tyco, Sunrise)….
Our initial development was done
using the Tyco-style NHS crutch, with its bulbous, slightly rubberised handle.
Others in common use, such as the Cooper Health -Sunrise, have a smooth
plastic finish and more "dagger handle" design - wide at one end,
narrow at the other, with finger indentations underneath.
With these, a similar all-over coating of lubricant should be used, again
more generously around the wider handle-end, where the flared outer edge
makes the first few centimetres of tube-fitting the most challenging. With
these "dagger handle" crutch styles, a gentle back-and-forward
rotation of the tube, as it is drawn-over the handle-end, is important to
avoid tearing.
In user tests, C9s were equally effective on Tyco and Sunrise crutches,
and others WITH IDENTICAL dimensions and design characteristics. Please
contact us before purchasing if use is intended for another design.
Outer Sock…
Simple and obvious, just pull over
the new tubing and fasten tightly around the end, using the stitched-in
closure system. Again make sure you are totally happy that the stability
provided is definitely suitable and safe for your needs.
It is easy, after a week or so of
regular use, to remove the outer socks and hand wash them at a moderate
temperature to restore their original clean and soft feel.
Circlip Hood…
Many people ask us what this is for
(you don’t have to buy this component, by the way, just as you can
buy a single handle set if you if currently using a single crutch for support):
the most important reason is that many crutch users also find the skin on
their forearm gets “nipped” regularly and painfully by the arm
circlip… particularly in the summer when short sleeves are worn. However,
we also like to think that having all the grey plastic bits covered just
looks more cheerful! Fitting the Hoods takes a bit of force, or a bit of
practice, but many users comment that a good technique is to get to the
point in the first photo (above) and then work on pulling on one side completely
before doing the same with the other side. You will then also be able to
wear favourite coats (particularly leather ones) without damaging them!.
Click here to download a copy
of these instructions.
