Efficacy and Cost Effectiveness of Utilizing a Hydraulically Adjustable Walker in the Treatment of Hip Fracture

Assistive walking devices are well known and come in various forms, such as canes, crutches, and walkers. Their primary purpose has been to allow someone to be more functional, safe, and independent after a sudden or gradual decline in some aspect of their health. Even with vast changes in all areas of human development the standard walking devices still have their limitations especially when it comes to stairs. The HAW takes one of the most common and dependable devices, a conventional walker, and upgrades its functionality to handle stairs and uneven ground.

A walker consists primarily of a metal frame with four legs which are stabilized by crossbars. These walker frames come in a variety of shapes and sizes; many consist primarily of two inverted U-shaped leg modules connected by crossbars. Regardless of the shape or form of the leg modules, each walker frame forms a 3-sided box with an opening in which the user may stand (See Figure 1).

The frame often includes two handles located on each side of the user at the upper region of each inverted U-shaped member. The height is matched to each individual's height by keeping the handles at the height of their inner wrist (See Figure 1).

Most basic walkers include mechanical means to allow the length of the legs to be increased or decreased. Push button locking pins that fit into pre-drilled holes in the legs are used to secure the walkers height to match the person [HO10] using it. The adjustment is also a time-consuming process requiring significant dexterity, and if a patient is trying to do it themselves, this can lead to falls or injury.

The US spends over $30 billion on health care-related to falls each year. 1 There are over 1,000,000 hip and knee surgeries performed each year. 1 In the US, the National Institute of Health (NIH) estimates that there are 6.9 million assistive device users (crutches, canes, or walker) in the US patient that are over the age of 65. 1 Currently there is an estimated 2 million walker users. It is estimated that of those 2 million, 62% of them have to use a walker to navigate stairs on a daily basis.1 This means that conservatively 1.24 million elderly people would benefit from a walker that negotiates stairs optimally. This number of elderly people will undoubtedly be increasing as the elderly population is estimated to more than double by the year 2050, reaching an astounding 89,000,000. 1 The HAW is the only known device that would allow its user the safety of a standard walker as well as protection on stairs while maintaining or improving their muscle strength, balance and endurance. 1 The HAW is a based on a conventional walker but has innovative telescoping legs with a leg adjustment assembly that includes at least one valve and at least one tube that delivers hydraulic fluid into the legs and allows a user to control the length of each leg. The legs of the walker are hydraulically adjustable, so that the front legs may be shortened and the back legs extended, or two side legs shortened and the two opposing side legs extended, so as to allow the walker to be securely placed on two different steps. This allows the user to be able to stand on a stair without worrying about sharing the same stair with the device. It also ensures that the height of the walker continues to be the right height for the user to minimize loss of balance.

The design has been tested to be able to withstand 300 pounds of force per leg without failure, so a conservative maximum load would be 600 lbs. Hydraulics were used instead of a mechanical designed to allow for infinite number of adjustments for varying stair heights. A standard stair is 8.25 inches tall, but can range from 6 inches up to 9 inches in some homes. The HAW allows for a wide variety of stairs to be able to be fit with a single adjustment instead of the multiple adjustments required with a conventional walker or crutch.

Dwaine Philbrook, PT, and Director of Rehab for Coastal Health Care Alliance of Maine, commented on the HAW: "In 32 years of clinical practice this is one of the most innovative medical products that I have ever seen. The biggest obstacle for patients returning home from a hospital stay, that require a walker, is how to negotiate stairs. Many are unable to use crutches due to balance issues or general weakness. The hydraulic walker will enable those patients to safely use stairs and enjoy a higher level of functional mobility" (May, 2016 personal communication to author).

It is anticipated that the study should confirm that patients using the HAW on stairs and for general mobility should improve the patient's satisfaction after the initial injury, improve their fear of falling again, and give them the confidence and ability to become an active member in their community earlier than those with a convention walker. Daily logs completed by the patients should show improved ambulation distances as compared to the control group which will improve the patients recovery and decrease need for further healthcare costs.

The use of the HAW for patients with an acute hip fracture should improve the patient's recovery and possibly decrease time spent in the hospital following the injury. The HAW will reduce the need for costly home repairs while improving a patient's fear of falling on stairs, improve their community ambulation, decrease medical bills, and lower the need for assistance from outside people within the home.

Using data that is collected by the study coordinator from the patient themselves, and their scores on the functional outcome measures in the tables below, the studies aim is to show an accelerated recovery and return to a prior level of function faster than the control group. This data along with the patient's testimonials will hopefully show that the HAW can be used for a wide variety of patients to improve their level of mobility and safety during ambulation on stairs along with uneven ground.

Conventional walkers are not well suited or functionally intended for use on stairways or uneven surfaces. The inability of conventional walkers to allow patients to properly balance on such surfaces limits their usefulness and may introduce significant risk to the user. There exists a need for a walker that allows its user to have safety, stability, control, and ease of use for navigating inclined, declined or uneven surfaces. Thus, the Hydraulically Adjustable Stair Climbing Walker (HAW) was developed.