Many people have seen knee walkers in use, but don’t actually know what they’re called. This can make it hard to know what you’re looking for when you want to ditch the crutches for one of those neat little knee scooter things. In fact, they have a lot of different names that you might search under.

Knee walker, or as some say, kneewalker, is the proper name for this type of orthopedic knee support. Often used, though, are terms like knee scooter, which seems descriptive of the actual function. Other terms that get tossed about are “leg caddy”, “roll about”, or “RollerAid.” This last one is actually a brand name – like saying you need a Kleenex instead of a tissue!

Knee walkers allow you almost full mobility even when one foot or ankle is out of commission. They let you stand straight, with both hands free when you need them. Their only disadvantage is one shared by every wheeled mobility device- the dreaded staircase.

Other than stairs, knee walkers are great alternatives to crutches. But if stairs are a big part of your daily routine, there are knee crutches out there, as well. The knee crutch is actually a device made by a Canadian company known as the iWALKFREE, and it’s known as a hands-free crutch. This device has a lot of great advantages over normal crutches, and unlike knee walkers, you can easily navigate stairs once you are familiar with the balance and use of the iWALKFREE.

So whether you are looking for knee scooters or knee crutches, your search is over: there is something out there for everyone!