Mobility Aid Selection Guide
Match a cane, crutches, walker, rollator or wheelchair to your support, balance, stamina and grip needs, with correct fitting height.
About this tool
Mobility Aid Selection Guide
Match a cane, crutches, walker, rollator or wheelchair to your support, balance, stamina and grip needs, with correct fitting height.
The Mobility Aid Selection Guide ranks walking sticks, quad canes, forearm crutches, pick-up frames, two-wheeled walkers, rollators, knee walkers and wheelchairs against one person's needs, because support, stability, portability and manoeuvrability trade off against each other rather than improving together. It scores each option on the weight relief it gives, the base of support it adds, the hand strength it demands and how it behaves indoors, outdoors and on stairs. It also gives the standard fitting rule: the handgrip should sit level with the wrist crease when standing with arms relaxed, putting the elbow at 15 to 20 degrees of bend.
How to use Mobility Aid Selection Guide
- 1
Open Mobility Aid Selection Guide on AltFTool — it loads instantly in your browser.
- 2
Answer how much support is needed, how steady walking is, how far before a rest, hand and arm strength, and where the aid will mostly be used.
- 3
Tick anything else that matters - needs one hand free, carries shopping, uses stairs, memory difficulties - and add a standing height in cm.
- 4
Read the Closest match and its trade-offs, the Runner-up, and the handgrip height that puts the elbow at 15 to 20 degrees of bend.
Why use Mobility Aid Selection Guide
Trade-offs made explicit
Each aid lists what it gives up as well as what it gives — support usually costs manoeuvrability and portability.
Matched to the actual situation
Answers about stairs, carrying shopping, hand strength and memory change the ranking, not just the support level.
Correct fitting included
The wrist-crease rule and a height-derived starting range mean the aid is set up as well as chosen.
Common use cases
- Deciding between a rollator and a two-wheeled walker for a parent whose stamina, not balance, is the limit.
- Working out why a rollator is a poor choice for someone with memory problems who may sit on it without locking the brakes.
- Choosing between crutches and a knee walker while non-weight-bearing after a foot or ankle fracture.
- Checking that a walking stick bought online is anywhere near the right height before it gets used.
Frequently asked questions
Should I use a cane, a walker or a rollator?
A walking stick suits mild unsteadiness and gives only about a quarter of body weight relief. A pick-up frame or two-wheeled walker gives the most stability and suits someone unsteady on both legs indoors. A four-wheeled rollator suits someone whose main limit is stamina rather than balance, because it rolls continuously, carries shopping and has a seat — but it can roll away if leaned on without the brakes.
How do I know what height my walking stick should be?
Stand upright in your usual shoes with your arms hanging relaxed. The top of the handle should be level with the crease of your wrist, which puts your elbow at about 15 to 20 degrees of bend when you use it. That lands near half your standing height, so a 165 cm person is usually around 79 to 86 cm, but the wrist-crease check is what settles it.
Which hand should hold a walking stick?
The hand opposite the weaker or painful leg. Moving the stick forward at the same time as the weaker leg reproduces the natural arm-swing pattern and shifts load away from that side. Holding it on the same side as the bad leg narrows your base and does far less for the joint you are trying to unload.
Is a rollator safe for someone with dementia?
It needs care. A rollator depends on remembering to lock both brakes before sitting and on not leaning on it while it is free to roll, so a two-wheeled walker, whose rear feet grip the floor under load, is often safer when memory or judgement is unreliable. An occupational therapist assessment is worth requesting rather than guessing.