Walking aids
Crutch Height Calculator
Enter your height and this calculator gives you a starting crutch length from two commonly published sizing methods, plus the underarm and handgrip checks used to fine-tune it. Getting the height roughly right makes crutches easier to walk with and keeps pressure off the area under your arm. Have the final fit checked by whoever supplied your crutches.
Measure your height wearing the shoes you will actually walk in. Shoe thickness changes the fit.
Set your crutches somewhere in this range, then confirm the fit with the two checks below. The checks decide the final setting; the formula only gets you close.
The underarm check
Stand upright in your shoes with the crutches under your arms and the tips resting on the floor. The top pad should sit about 2 to 3 finger widths below your armpit, roughly 3 to 5 cm (about 1.5 to 2 inches). Published figures for this gap range from about 1 inch to about 2 inches, so aim for the middle of that range rather than the smallest gap. You should not be resting your body weight on the pads at any point. Your weight goes through your hands.
The handgrip check
With the crutches in place and your arms hanging relaxed at your sides, the handgrips should sit level with the crease of your wrist. When you then hold the grips and stand tall, your elbows should be slightly bent, commonly described as roughly 15 to 30 degrees, with most sources landing nearer 20 to 30 degrees. If your elbows are locked straight, the grips are too low. If they are bent much more than a right-angle-ish quarter bend, the grips are too high.
Tip placement
When standing, the crutch tips are usually placed roughly 15 cm (about 6 inches) out to the side and 15 cm in front of your foot, not directly underneath you. This is the stance most sizing descriptions assume.
These figures are starting points from commonly published sizing methods, not a fitting. Body proportions vary, and two people of the same height can need different settings. Underarm crutches, forearm crutches, and paediatric crutches are also set up differently. Have your fit checked by the clinician, physical therapist, or pharmacy that supplied the crutches. This tool provides educational information only. It is not medical advice. Always consult your doctor or physical therapist.
Why crutch height is worth getting right
Crutches that are set wrong are not just uncomfortable. Set too tall and the pads press up into your armpit, an area packed with nerves and blood vessels that do not tolerate sustained pressure well. Leaning on that area is the single most commonly warned-against mistake in crutch guidance, and prolonged pressure there can cause pain and, in some cases, nerve irritation that outlasts the injury you got the crutches for.
Set too short and you end up hunched, which loads your shoulders and lower back and makes every step harder than it needs to be. On top of that, badly fitted crutches are simply less stable, and stability is the whole point when you are getting around on one leg.
The starting formula
The most widely used quick method is to take your standing height and subtract 16 inches, which is about 40.6 centimetres. Someone who is 175 cm tall gets a starting crutch length of roughly 134 cm.
A second common method is to take 77% of your standing height, which for the same person gives about 135 cm. The two agree closely through the middle of the normal height range and drift apart at the extremes, which is a useful reminder that both are approximations. Research comparing crutch-fitting techniques has examined several of these approaches, including measuring from the armpit fold to the heel while lying down and measuring from the elbow point to the opposite fingertip.
Measure your height wearing the shoes you will actually be walking in. A thick sole can add a couple of centimetres, and that is enough to change the setting.
The two checks that actually decide the fit
The formula gets you close. These checks get you right.
Underarm clearance. Stand up straight in your shoes, crutches under your arms, tips on the floor. There should be a gap between the top pad and your armpit of about 2 to 3 finger widths, roughly 3 to 5 cm or about 1.5 to 2 inches. Published figures vary from about an inch to about two inches, so aim for the middle rather than the smallest gap. Slide two or three fingers into the space to check.
The reason for the gap is simple: the pads are not meant to carry you. They are there to steady the crutch against your ribs. Your body weight should travel down through your hands.
Handgrip position. Let your arms hang loose at your sides. The grips should be level with the crease of your wrist. Then take hold of them and stand tall. Your elbows should have a small bend, commonly cited as somewhere between 15 and 30 degrees, with most sources landing nearer 20 to 30. That bend matters because it lets your arms absorb and push, and it lets your elbows straighten as you swing through a step. Locked-straight elbows mean the grips are too low.
Adjusting is straightforward on most crutches. Push-button pins or wing nuts release the lower shaft for overall length, and a separate set releases the grips. Set both crutches the same, and re-check after any change.
Walking with them
When you stand still, the tips usually sit about 15 cm out to the side and 15 cm in front of your foot rather than directly beneath you. That triangle is more stable than a narrow stance and is what most sizing descriptions assume.
A few practical things that come up constantly: wear shoes with grip, watch for wet floors and loose rugs, take stairs slowly and only the way you were shown, and never hang your body weight on the underarm pads while resting. If your hands go numb or tingly, or the area under your arm gets sore, stop and get the fit reviewed.
Get the fit checked
The numbers here are a starting point, not a fitting. Two people of the same height can have different arm and torso proportions and need different settings. Forearm crutches, which grip the forearm rather than sitting under the arm, are set up on completely different principles. And if you are sizing crutches for a child, the guidance is different again.
Whoever supplied your crutches, whether that was a hospital, a physical therapist, or a pharmacy, can check the setting in about a minute. That is worth doing, especially if you will be on them for weeks.
This tool provides educational information only. It is not medical advice. Always consult your doctor or physical therapist.
Frequently asked questions
How much gap should there be under my arm?
Commonly published guidance ranges from about 1 inch up to about 2 inches, often described as 2 to 3 finger widths. Aim for the middle of that range. The purpose of the gap is to stop you resting weight on the pads, since the area under the arm does not tolerate sustained pressure well.
Should I measure my height with or without shoes?
With the shoes you will actually walk in. Sole thickness can shift the correct setting by a couple of centimetres, which is enough to matter.
My elbows feel locked straight. What do I adjust?
The handgrips, not the overall length. Raise the grips until your elbows have a small bend when you hold them and stand tall. Keep the underarm clearance where it is while you do this; the two adjustments are usually independent on standard crutches.
Do these numbers work for forearm crutches?
No. Forearm crutches, sometimes called elbow crutches, do not sit under the arm at all, so the underarm clearance check does not apply and the length is set differently. Follow the fitting guidance supplied with them.
Can I use this calculator for a child?
It is set up for adult heights from 120 cm upward, and children's crutches are fitted with different considerations. Get children's crutches sized in person by the clinician who supplied them.
My hands are going numb. Is that the height?
It might be, and it might be how you are gripping or how long you are on them. Numbness or tingling in the hands or arms is worth reporting rather than pushing through. Ask your clinician to check both the setting and your technique.
Sources
- MedlinePlus (U.S. National Library of Medicine) — Using crutches, patient instructions: medlineplus.gov
- A comparative analysis of several crutch-length-estimation techniques, Physical Therapy (PubMed): pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Comparative Analysis of Several Crutch-Length-Estimation Techniques, Physical Therapy, Oxford Academic: academic.oup.com
- Analysis of Method of Axillary Crutch Measurement, Journal of Advances in Medicine and Medical Research: journaljammr.com
- ACE Physical Therapy — Make Sure You Have Crutches That Fit Properly: ace-pt.org
- Twin Cities Orthopedics — Crutches 101: Everything You Need to Know: tcomn.com
- PhysioMotion London — Set your crutches to the right height: physiomotion.co.uk