#mobility aid representation

(Sorry for not doing the image description that makes it screen reader friendly, I forgot how it’s formatted or whatever)

Image Description: a black X shape drawn on a white screen.

Hi!

Without more details like where (rotationally) on the leg this scar is, it's kind of unclear what effect it might have. The knee area, especially on the top and inner side, is pretty bony; some types of scars, if they cause contraction, might affect the ability to bend the knee a little bit, but probably wouldn't cause nerve damage. Honestly, I think tendon damage is probably more likely from a knee injury, especially with more superficial injuries.

Whether crutches or a cane (or one crutch) is a better aid depends mostly on weight bearing ability of the injured leg, and partially on mobility as well.

For single-sided injuries, a cane is a suitable aid if their injured leg can bear at least 75% of their body weight during the part of the walk cycle where the other leg is raised.

Crutches become more suitable when the injured leg cannot properly weight bear. Two crutches can bear up to 100% of a person's body weight, using a three-point gait. A single crutch is technically rated for up to 50% weight bearing, but it can feel insecure or unbalanced, and same as a cane bears a higher risk of stress injury to the weight-bearing wrist or shoulder. So it's often better for unilateral injuries to use two crutches that can each take half the load.

Another thing to consider, especially with nerve damage, is if your character has foot drop, which can happen from pressure on or damage to the peroneal nerve, on the outside of the knee. The hip can accommodate for a lot of knee and ankle problems, but with foot drop, a brace can majorly reduce the strain on the other joints. If the only major symptom of their injury is foot drop, an orthotic brace alone, or a brace and a single cane or crutch, might be the most supportive aids.

I'm a young teacher who's been disabled to some degree by my chronic illness for years now. I'm currently in the part of the school year when I get to tell my kids about my cane and use it as a tool to talk about invisible disabilities. I'm telling them tomorrow... wish me luck! (will try to update if I get any good/comical responses from the kids)

Awesome! Just being a mobility aid user will open their eyes so much but even better that you talk about it openly! Good on ya. Hope it goes well!

The character is primarily impacted by muscle loss in his legs, chronic pain and balance issues, but so far not very affected by muscle loss in his arms and hands, though this will likely become more impacting in coming years - he does slightly struggle with hand grip, such as needing help opening jars. Due to the symptoms primarily affecting his legs, he uses crutches on a daily basis, as well as occasionally using an electric wheelchair when on longer trips. He also has custom-made shoes to support his ankles.

The character does have a number of disabled friends, so he's not socially isolated with regards to his disability, but his best friend and boyfriend from college are both able-bodied. He also has a close relationship with his able-bodied older sister. He's part of his local alternative scene, and while he hangs out with a number of people who drink and use substances, he himself is straight-edge due to possible adverse effects of substances on his health (with the exception of medical cannabis for chronic pain, which he considers a medical treatment and therefore not excluded by "straight-edge").

Questions I have regarding writing this character are (aside from whether any of the above details are inaccurate or need changing): what types of crutches would be most useful and comfortable for this character? I haven't managed to find sources on what crutches are ideal for CMT (considering the character's circumstances, he would have access to any type of crutches regardless of price or customization). Or would a different mobility aid altogether be better suited? Are there any other accessibility needs or aids I need to consider in his daily life? Are there specific ways in which his family home would have been modified to make it more accessible (so far, I've included an open floorplan, wide doorways, accessible showers, wide concrete paths through the family's garden and at-home gym which is also used for his physiotherapy, and I'm hesitating between including a stair lift or them having had an elevator installed to access their upper floor, or both)? More generally, are there things I should be specifically mindful of when writing this character and his disability, or further details it would be good to include? Because this character is fairly minor, I don't intend to go into a lot of detail about his disability within the story and it won't be discussed in-depth by other characters, but I'd still like to have a good grasp on it generally for the appearances he does make in the story.

Thank you for the help you provide and the work you put into maintaining this blog!

Hi!

Most long-term crutch users will use forearm crutches since they reduce the risk of nerve damage compared to under-arm crutches. If he's dealing with muscle weakness in his arms or hands, he may prefer platform crutches that reduce the strain on his wrists.

He may also use AFO or KAFO braces in addition to orthotic shoes, since those will provide increased support to his legs.

Honestly if money isn't an issue, elevators are faster than stair lifts, and don't take up the space in the stairwell for the people in his household who don't need one. If it's a big house, there might be multiple elevators or stairlifts throughout to make navigation faster. I like the other accessibility features definitely.