“Johnny Hopalong”

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The iWALKFree and Me

August 13, 2008 · 18 Comments

About a month ago, I ordered the iWALKFree and I am absolutely loving it!

For those of you who haven’t heard of this device, the iWALKFree is a hands-free crutch. I like to think of it as a peg-leg; sort of what a pirate might have (way, way) back-in-the-day. It straps to your injured leg and has a supportive platform to rest your lower leg. (Check out the link above for photos and more information.)

The iWALKFree gave me back my life. Since I ordered it, I have been able to do the following list of things entirely on my own:

  • Mow the lawn (3 times)
  • Walk my dog (4 times, 1 hour each time)
  • Load & unload large pieces of luggage for a road trip
  • Carry groceries into the house (with both hands!)
  • Change and care after my 4-month old son
  • Resurface my garage floor with an epoxy shield (!)
  • Trim and re-seed bare patches on my back lawn
  • Walk up a flight of stairs in less than 10 seconds
  • Go shopping with my family for 2 hours

When I ruptured my left Achilles tendon, I made a promise to my wife and I that I would try my best to continue to help out around the house. I ordered the iWALKFree about 3 days after my injury. With shipping, it cost me about $400 CAD.

The iWALKFree is the single, greatest piece of equipment that I have ever owned. It gave me my life back.

One of the biggest advantages of the iWALKFree over standard crutches is that the iWALKFree is a hands-freee crutch. This makes getting around a lot simpler. For example, going up & down stairs is way, way easier with the iWALKFree because you can place one of your free hands on the railing. Conversely, standard crutches are a total balancing act. They suck - especially when you’re going down a flight of stairs. Leading with your injured leg - that cannot/should not bare any weight - is a tough thing to do.

The iWALKFree is also great because it allows me to use my hands while walking or doing work around the house. For example, carrying food from the kitchen is pretty tough with crutches. And drinks? Forget it. Crutches make this an all-but-impossible juggling act. A couple of spilt coffee cups on the floor made the decision to buy the iWALKFree a total no-brainer. Given the list of chores (above) I’ve done in the past 4 weeks, I would totally recommend this device to anyone who is feeling guilty about having his/her partner weigh on you hand & foot. Being an independent kind of guy, I love the fact that the iWALKFree allows me to “fend for myself” and get back to the things I enjoy doing in my spare time.

For those of you who are active and hate crutches, this is the best alternative out there. 100%, no question. If you have recently ruptured your Achilles tendon, this is the device for you.

If you have any questions about the iWALKFree, please feel free to ask. I’m happy to provide you with any opinions, insights, or tips & tricks about its use. (I have many since I’ve been using for about a month now.)

Categories: Uncategorized

18 responses so far ↓

  • Simon Watfa // Aug 13th 2008 at 9:05 am

    Hey John, ouch! Sorry to hear about your ordeal, man. I’m glad the iWALKFree is helping you gain your mobility again. Get well soon!

  • kkdub // Aug 13th 2008 at 12:25 pm

    This is the best commercial/ad ever.

  • John Bristowe // Aug 13th 2008 at 1:00 pm

    Admittedly, my post is pure evangelism. :-) However, I really love this device. It’s ideal for folks who have suffered an ATR.

  • molin // Aug 13th 2008 at 3:53 pm

    Thanks for this info. I’ve been looking at this for a few days now (1 week post op), and am seriously considering it. One question I have is — do you have to take it off every time you sit down on the couch or a chair?
    Thanks — good luck with everything!

  • John Bristowe // Aug 13th 2008 at 4:24 pm

    Yes and no. If I’m sitting down for a period of 5-10 minutes, I’ll keep the iWALKFree attached to my leg and may loosen the straps if they become uncomfortable. However, by the time you have used the iWALKFree for a while, you don’t mind taking it on/off. Once you’ve got it tweaked to your dimensions, it takes about 15 seconds to put on and about 5 seconds to take off.

    The key is making sure that the iWALKFree is continuously adjusted until it feels perfect. Once it’s set, you never have to touch the settings again; you simply strap it to your leg and go.

    Please let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks! — John

  • dennis // Aug 13th 2008 at 11:14 pm

    I was seriously considering iWalkFree after my surgery, and I tried pretty hard to get my insurance company to pay for it. Unfortunately, the insurance company made me run around in circles, and eventually I got tired of it and just gave up.

    In fact, that was one of the earliest topics of discussion on the site. You can search for it through the google search on the main page, and you’ll find some comments and posts about it. (My blog as well as johnskier’s)

    Actually, here’s the post and comments regarding iwalkfree. That was back in Feb.. Wow, it seems so long ago! It brings back bitter/sweet memories.

    johnskier actually got one, but he’s had a mixed experience with it. You may want to visit his blog and also ask him about it.

    I think he might be willing to sell it to someone on the site as he no longer uses it, so you might want to contact him.

    I actually got as far as calling the inventor and speaking to him about the product. I think it’s a great idea, and I would have loved to have tried it.

    I was also thinking of getting one for the site, and allowing people to rent it free of charge during NWB stage. (Just have to pay for the shipping, and leave a deposit so that it gets returned to the next person who needs it.) It’s still a possibility if there is enough interest.

  • molin // Aug 15th 2008 at 11:03 am

    Thanks for the additional info, John and Dennis. I decided to splurge and am going to give it a whirl. I’m at the beginning of at least 8 weeks NWB, so it can’t hurt!
    Thanks, again.

  • John Bristowe // Aug 15th 2008 at 1:24 pm

    Awesome stuff. Make sure to let me/us know what you think!

    Also, take care your time and make sure that all the straps and levels are adjusted perfectly. It will take you some time to get used to. Once everything is set correctly, you’ll never want to go back to crutches.

  • molin // Aug 25th 2008 at 9:18 am

    OK, I finally got the iWalkFree — bought it new on Ebay for $290, but it took a week to show up. I’ve used it around the house a few times, and must admit it does help to free up your hands and get things done. The crutch does take some time to get used to — getting balance right, adjustments, etc. — but I got the hang of it pretty quickly.

    I think this is a great piece of equipment for freeing up your hands and getting things done around the house. I don’t think I’ll be taking it to work or going to the store, but who knows.

    It is a bit heavier than I thought, but, again, you get used to the movement pretty quickly. It’s also more comfortable on your knee if I wear pants, rather than my skin right on the knee pad (starts to sweat and get itchy, I thought).

    Anyway, those are my initial thoughts on the iWalkFree!

  • bob sgroi // Oct 4th 2008 at 9:08 pm

    I am desperate to try the iwalkfree. Any help would be appreciated since I am financially almost devasted right now. I am a bka and cannot wear prosthetic leg

  • Vic // Nov 25th 2008 at 12:51 pm

    I’m a recent joiner of the ATR club (surgery 4 days ago) and just received my iwalkfree crutch yesterday. I really like it but am having some trouble with pain where the top of the cast meets my shin (I guess I’m just soft). Did you do anything to help alleviate the discomfort there or did you just grow used to it?
    Thanks!
    Vic

  • John Bristowe // Nov 26th 2008 at 5:13 pm

    I used a tea towel on the platform (that you rest your lower leg on) to reduce the amount of direct rubbing on the plastic/rubber pad. This helps a lot because it reduces the gap between the pad and your skin. It also reduces the chance of developing a blister. Mind you, after a few weeks of (nearly) constant use, the skin on my knee was pretty tough!

    Let me know if you have any additional questions!

  • Diana // Sep 21st 2009 at 2:20 am

    Would like to know what materials this is made of? Scheduled for foot surgery next week; 2 mos. NWB. I’m a single mom of a 2 yr old, and live in a 2nd floor place. I have help scheduled, but it looks like this crutch would be great! But… I have a rubber allergy. I read somewhere of “hard rubber straps” on this. Are they truly rubber, or plastic? Rubber would make sense; I’m just being hopeful. (looks like all conventional mobility aids are made with rubber; can’t find any replacement crutch tips; any suggestions appreciated).

  • John Bristowe // Sep 21st 2009 at 10:42 am

    @Diana: The majority of the iWALKFree is made of aluminum, foam and plastic. There is rubber used for the footpad to provide traction. FWIW, there’s a photo of the iWALKFree on the product’s webpage: http://www.iwalk-free.com/home.html.

    I would avoid using crutches while taking care of a young child (my son is 17-months old) because they don’t provide you with the ability to multitask. With crutches, generally-speaking, you are forced to walk from point A to point B before doing anything. You can’t carry your kids (for example) or do anything meaningful. With the iWALKFree, I was able to cut the grass, take out the garbage, care for my son (then, 5-months old) and walk my dog. Essentially, it gave me my life back.

  • hands free crutch // Oct 18th 2010 at 2:42 am

    I just love your weblog! Very nice post! Still you can do many things to improve it.

  • Dimitri Schlotter // Nov 21st 2010 at 2:55 pm

    Maybe someone with more, or less experience can give me a hint as to how to unweight the knee a bit more in the iwalkfree. Unfortunately, my old hip and knee injuries affect balance and comfort with the iwalkfree. I see on the web sight that the shin is supposed to bear quite alot of the weight, but even my surgeon could not tell me how to adjust it to lighten the load on the knee cradled in the device.
    Have friends whose son used one many years ago, and they claim he could do just about anything. I imagine I am twice the age he was at the time, but I danced for twenty plus years, ski, ride a bike and have ridden and shown horses for thirty years, so what in the world am I doing wrong? I have been using IWF for six weeks now and still feel clutzy. I have also noticed that the foam padding is either gone or falling apart. Does anyone know if I can get replacements? Guess I will have to call Canada for answers to that one. Any info appreciated…

  • Tom schwab // Apr 7th 2011 at 12:55 pm

    What a treasure of helpful information about a great alternative to crutches. Just wanted to add that the i Walk Free is available for rent in both the US (www.GoodbyeCrutches.com) and UK (www.peglegs.co.uk). It can be a cost effective alternative especially the trial period to see if it will benefit you.

  • Nick // Jul 11th 2012 at 10:53 am

    I’ve just gone through Achilles repair surgery as well and am considering this - looks like an excellent crutch alternative. Anybody out there willing to let me borrow theirs - of course I’ll pay for shipping it here and back!! I’m in SoCal…

    Cheers,
    Nick

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