Evidence for

SideStix

Biomechanical evidence to support the role of SideStix in reducing

forces during walking

Partnership funding: Mitacs, SideStix and UBC Investigators: Megan MacGillivray MSc, Bonita Sawatzky PhD, Sarah Doherty OT

What’s in a crutch?

The crutch contains three major parts: 1. the handle 2. the shaft 3. the tip

What’s different about SideStix?

Angle of handle and softer material (Boundless and Discovery model)

Polymer shock inside shaft (Boundless model)

Rotating ball and socket foot and tip (Boundless model)

Does SideStix make a difference during

walking?

A study was conducted to compare the biomechanics of walking with SideStix compared to traditional crutches

Measured the differences in forces between the SideStix Boundless, and Discovery crutches and the traditional crutch

13 people who had no experience with crutches participated in the study, and one person with an amputation

How did we do it?

Compared three crutches in random order

Participants walked with a “swing-thru-gait” (like a 2-foot hop) using crutches.

Crutches landed on a special force-plate hidden in the floor where we captured the force

What were the results?

Boundless crutch reduced overall vertical force (up and down direction)

Boundless crutch reduced peak braking (initial landing force)

Boundless increased peak push off force (extra spring forward)

Discovery crutch did not perform better for any of the forces

vertical

propulsivebraking

side to side

What do those results mean?

• decrease the relative braking force by 17% using the Boundless• increase the relative propulsive force by 8% using the Boundless Boundless

What could this mean to a crutch user?

If an average crutch user walks 1-2 km per day (approx 1500 -2500 steps per day), reducing 17% braking forces or increasing the spring to move forward by 8% for each step can make a big difference!

This may have an impact on strain to the arms and it could help with conserving energy throughout the day.

What’s the future for SideStix?

Developing more evidence for how it impacts wrist, elbow and shoulder function.

Learn new ideas for improving SideStix even more!

Creating a product that makes a difference to people lives, enabling them to go further.

SideStix in motion…

SideStix in motion…

SideStix in motion…

SideStix in motion…

SideStix in motion…

SideStix in motion…