What could be more pleasant than a stroll in the park ? With the warm sun on your skin, a cool breeze through your hair, one can admire the scenery and enjoy the fresh air. But as time moves on in our lives, it is possible your legs no longer let you walk over long distances. A rollator is the ideal tool for these situations. With its four wheels and seat, one can take a rest whenever fatigue sets in. Beyond the specifications of the rollator itself, one needs to carefully consider the way it is used. The adjustments, usage and maintenance all have a drastic impact on the usability and choice of your rollator.
Key takeaways
- Handle height: standing with arms at your sides, the handles should reach your wrist bone.
- When walking, keep the handles close to your hips for solid support and a straight back.
- The right surfaces: sidewalks, asphalt or packed trails. Avoid grass, sand, gravel and snow.
- Maintenance: tighten the brakes when cables stretch and watch for wheels that drag.
How to Adjust a Rollator ?
To truly enjoy your rollator, it needs to be comfortable. To provide the best comfort, the rollator needs to be adequately adjusted to your size. Obviously, as no two people is the same, there is truly no single formula for each and everyone. But each can find their comfort by following these simple tips and trics.
Firstly, the handles need to be at the right height. If they are too low, we’ll be inclined to lean forward on the handles, or to have our elbows in a hyperextended position. If the handles are too high, we’ll have a tendency to push the rollator as if it was a shopping cart, meaning it won’t provide any support. It is also possible that we keep our arms folded up, pushing our shoulders upwards into an uncomfortable position. Ideally, we adjust the handles by standing upright while looking far off to the horizon, and letting our arms fall alongside the body. The handles should reach the wrist bone, or where a watch bracelet would be.
How to Walk With a Rollator ?
Once the rollator is adjusted accordingly, you simply have to put one foot before the other. No ? Not quite.
To keep a good posture when walking with a rollator, it is important to keep its handles close to the hips. That way, we can sturdily brace oneself in the event of a loss of balance. Furthermore, if we keep the handles too far away from us, it is possible that the rollator slides on the ground, even if the brakes a correctly engaged. Finally, holding the handles too far away encourages us to lean forward, rounding our back. This is both uncomfortable, and can lead to complications with regards to our posture.
Beyond the positioning of the rollator relative to us, we need to be careful of the surface on which we use it. A rollator is appropriate for relatively smooth surfaces, such as cement sidewalks, asphalt walkways and well-maintained trails. However, grass, sand, loose gravel and snow make walking very difficult with a rollator.
How to maintain a rollator ?
With a little luck, you’ll enjoy your strolls often enough that you’ll start to wear out your rollator. Generally, the brakes are the first to need repairs. Usually made of steel, the brake cables eventually stretch out and the wheels no longer lock in place after prolonged use. We can usually tighten the brake cables with the adjustment bolts near the wheel. Then, and especially if you go out during winter, the wheel bearings can fill with gunk and rust. When that happens, the rollator will be harder to push, and might even roll towards a particular side.
To walk safely and comfortably and enjoy the outdoors, you can’t just buy any rollator. You have to take care to use your tools the right way. Here at Équipements Adaptés MCL, we know that the right rollator is more than its specifications sheet and its price. This is why we will teach you how to properly adjust, use and take care of your rollator. If you ever need repairs to be done on your rollator, it will be our pleasure to repair your it right here in our shop.
Here to help you find Mobility, Comfort and Liberty
