Top 6 Knee Scooters for Broken Ankle: Expert Picks

“It was a lifesaver when I broke my leg. It gave me the mobility needed to get around the house or the store without having to use crutches. Easy to put together, shipped on schedule and lightweight. The breaks were a little touchy but once you figure out how much pressure is actually needed it was fine.”

– Customer Review

“The scooter is very convenient to use and keeps you moving while recuperating from food surgery, overall the functionality, quality, it is average weight. The only downside is that this scooter does not fold.”

– Customer Review

“Not a lot of instructions in the pamphlet, but you can figure it out. Nice and sturdy. I think it will work well after surgery.”

– Customer Review

“My mom had foot surgery and was struggling with crutches, so I got her this knee scooter. She loves it! The wide base keeps her stable, and the dual brakes are easy for her to use with one hand. It’s sturdy enough to support her, and the foldable design means we can take it to her physical therapy appointments. The build quality is great—feels like a professional medical device, not a cheap toy. She says it’s made her recovery so much less stressful. Would definitely buy again.”

– Customer Review

“I don’t even understand how anyone could complain about this scooter. I am a woman and just put this together myself very easily. I find the construction of it excellent. I was concerned it might be flimsy because it was such a reasonable price, but it is very sturdy and I don’t feel the least bit unsteady on it… So all in all, I find this to be an excellent product. I got the blue and it’s a beautiful color. If I find that I have problems with the scooter, I will come back and edit this review, otherwise I’ll leave it as is because I am extremely happy with my purchase! Update: I still love this score but I want able to use it. I had previously had serious knee surgery on the leg with the hurt ankle and I found that leaning on it for my ankle’s sake just hurt my knee too much. I still give it five stars though, but was never able to review the durability.”

– Customer Review

“I dont understand any negative reviews. My son put this together fairly quickly. The knee rest is comfortable and the turning radius better than some professional brands. I bought this because of the front pegs. They provide versatility so you can sit and still prop your injured leg. I love the stop and hold brake, which is better than just a hand brake alone. I bought hot red but it’s really more orange/coral. Not my favorite color but I don’t care. It serves its purpose. The folding feature is nice but I don’t think it does much, except bring down the handle bars so they don’t hit a car roof. I wish I got the purple but again, not a fashion show. It is worth the money and easy to maneuver.”

– Customer Review

“When looking at reviews it’s easy to get hung up on the poor reviews – many of which are simply noise that can lead to confusion on whether a product is a good purchase. For example, complaints on turning radius being large. This is not an auto, and hopefully not long term for someone. It beats the heck out of crutches. I’m 6’2” tall and this adjusts well for me. It’s easy to maneuver. Yes, it may have a challenge over bumps but you quickly learn how to maneuver over those. If you have A LOT of uneven surfaces then maybe look at a more expensive all terrain scooter with inflated front tires. However for most people, this should work great. Well built, no concerns with comfort, assembly was straightforward, I am using it inside my house, around my house, the office, errands etc., while dealing with a foot fracture. It definitely helps me keep the load off my foot. My doctor said if I don’t, she would put me in a cast vs a boot so that I’m forced to keep the load off. This helps so much more than crutches. The bag is a nice addition. Update: I have a knee-height leg boot and most scooter reviews have complaints of comfort. I realize it’s a lot of pressure on my knee and shin area across the brace. Highly recommend buying a knee scooter cushion. After a long day on my scooter (still 5 stars), I had to order a cushion.”

– Customer Review

“I love it!! So much better than crutches!! I can fly around so much better. The brakes are such a great idea! Well worth the money. The cushion is nice and comfortable!!”

– Customer Review

“I bought this after my second foot surgery. For my first surgery I was 4 weeks non-weight bearing and I used a scooter exclusively. For the second surgery I was six weeks non-weight bearing and decided to get BOTH a scooter and the iWALK. Below are my thoughts on the iWALK generally, and my thoughts on the benefits and drawbacks of it compared to the scooter. GENERAL THOUGHTS ON iWALK The bottom line is that I was surprised by how well this product worked, especially for the price. I thought I would feel unsteady while using it, and was frankly kind of scared of it. As soon as I put it on, I could feel how stable it was. I was walking in no time and it allowed me to do things around the house that I never could have done otherwise. I even hosted a rather large dumpling making party and spent most of the evening on my feet with the iWALK making dumplings. Here are some thoughts by category: Assembly: I found that the assembly of the iWALK was not exceptionally difficult WITH the assistance of the video. (I had read about the video from other reviews and found it on the internet. There might be more than one out there, but I watched the series of videos on YouTube by Ability Gear with the British narrator.). I’m not sure I could have gotten the thing together without the video. I did make a few mistakes along the way and had to backtrack, take pieces of it apart, fix what I missed, and then put it back together again. This was a annoying, but probably more a result of my getting ahead of myself in the assembly and not paying close enough attention to the video. But regardless, it was pretty do-able and only took me about 30 minutes. Fit: I am 5’4″ and about a size 6. The iWALK fit me just fine. I did not keep it in the shortest position, but in the second or third shortest position, so presumably someone a bit shorter than me would be fine. Also, the straps really do need to be tightly secured in all places for the iWALK to work properly. Pressure on the knee: Some reviewers have complained about too much pressure on the knee. For the most part I didn’t have too much of a problem. Most of the pressure seems to be on the shin. However, after some extended use, my knee did start to hurt. I’m not sure if this was my knee getting worn out, or if the padding on the iWALK was getting worn out. But I put some padding between my knee and the knee shelf and that seemed to help. Stability: I was frankly very surprised by how stable I felt on this. I bought it one week after my surgery thinking that I would wait awhile until my foot had better healed before using it because I was so scared of falling. But once I had the iWALK on I felt totally comfortable. It just feels remarkably stable, and made from good quality materials. Learning: I was also surprised by how easy it was to learn to use. With the help of the online videos, I was getting around the house in no time. Straps/Getting it on and off: The straps seem pretty well designed to me. There are two parts on the strap where you can tighten it. First, you tighten the strap using one pull most of the way. Then you click the strap in place and use a second part of the strap to tighten the strap even further (watch the video if this doesn’t make sense). This means that when taking it on and off, you just have to loosen the second part of the strap a little and then unlock it, rather than loosening the whole thing. That is not to say that getting it on and off is convenience free. It is not. The iWALK does not work well for getting up and doing something really quick because of the time it takes to get on and off (see comparison to scooter below). Stairs: Going upstairs was pretty easy, but I was never really able to master going downstairs. I agree with other reviewers who have noted that the easiest way to go downstairs is to go down backwards, but there is a portion of my staircase that does not have a railing, and navigating that portion was scary. In fact I found going downstairs scary in general and usually just sat down lifted my leg up to keep the crutch out of my way, and then scooted down on my butt. Back problems: I have problems with my lower back (sacroiliitis). The crutch definitely did not do wonders for this condition. Much like wearing a walking boot, it creates an unnatural and uneven walking movement. If you have SI Joint issues, this can be a problem. For me it was not bad enough to prevent me from wearing it, but its something to consider if you have a history of back problems. Sitting: It is really awkward to sit with this thing on. I did it sometimes because I would be doing chores and just needed to sit for a minute to rest. I would lift the iWALK up and rest it on my coffee table. It was fine for this purpose, but if you went out to a restaurant or anything, you would really need to take it off before sitting. (Also ladies I’m sorry to say this makes going to the bathroom with the iWALK VERY inconvenient. I imagine for men this would not be an issue if using a urinal.) Reaction from others: As other reviewers have noted, be prepared for some weird looks. Or just general awkwardness. If someone is looking at you from the front, it can look like you are wearing a prosthetic, and people will sometimes stare (especially children) or try not to stare (which is equally obvious). When people do realize that it is not a prosthetic, the reaction is pretty similar, but they are more likely to come up and ask you about it. But overall, people were pretty courteous and I did not have too many people bug me. Safety: I am a mid-30s woman who is in very good health. When not recovering from surgery, I swim regularly and do yoga three times a week. My balance is pretty good, as is my strength. As other reviewers have mentioned, people really need to consider their own balance and strength when deciding if the iWALK is right for them. iWALK v. SCOOTER I used a scooter exclusively after my first surgery, and used both the iWALK and the scooter after my second. My first big caveat is that I have hardwood floors in my house, and I have no idea if having carpet would impact the use of a scooter or an iWALK. So that is something to research/keep in mind. That being said, I found both devices useful for different things. The iWALK made doing chores around the house a thousand times easier. It let me clean, do laundry, and cook. As mentioned above, I even hosted a dumpling party and spent a good amount of time in the kitchen making dumplings while standing on the iWALK. While I also did chores with the scooter, it was a lot more awkward. It can be hard to carry things like clothes to the laundry (even with a basket on the scooter) and your constantly rolling back and forth and around trying to maneuver around things (like when trying to cook in the kitchen). The iWALK was really a life saver in this respect. But I found the scooter to be a lot easier for doing errands outside of the house or for making short trips in the house (such as going to the bathroom, when getting the iWALK on and then immediately off again is kind of a pain.) The downside of the scooter outside of the house, is that if you are alone, you have to get the scooter out of your car. I have a hatchback mini cooper, so that meant hopping to the back of my car, balancing a little on the heel of my bad foot, and then pulling the scooter out. Once out of the car though, it was a lot easier getting around the grocery store, target, etc. on the scooter. I tried the iWALK on a couple of occasions at places like the grocery store, and I was exhausted by the time I left. I also preferred the scooter for going to restaurants because I did not have to deal with getting the iWALK on and off when sitting down to eat, or when getting up to go to the restroom (That is of course if the restaurant and its restrooms are handicap accessible, which is unfortunately not always the case. The number of businesses with one or two steps at the front door is frankly astounding, not to mention the number of restaurants who put their restrooms on a second floor or in a basement. So I always tried to research this in advance, and if a restaurant was not 100% accessible I would wear the iWALK instead). So overall, whether you should buy an iWALK, a scooter, or both, really depends on your needs. If you are just going to be using your mobility device for chores around the house, the iWALK may be better. But if you don’t have as much of a need for doing chores, the scooter may be an easier option. I personally am glad I had both, even though it meant a little more money (the insurance should be covering some of it though), because I wanted to be able to do chores and errands. So if you have the expendable income, or if your insurance will cover some or all of it, the double investment may be worth it to you.”

– Customer Review

“If you have an injury where you can not put weight on a foot & you are determined to remain independent – there is nothing else out there like this. About 10 days ago I broke my heel & needed emergency surgery. The common mobility aid choices out there are crutches, walker, knee scooter, & IWalk 3.0 as of this time. First, in order to use this, you have to be somewhat agile, have decent balance, be on decent shape, & be determined to be independent. If that describes you, I will tell you why this product is the best choice out there. If you are happy sitting around all day & having everything done for you, then you may want to skip this product. There is a small learning curve & you have to be determined to get over that hump & make it work for you. I was d/c from hospital with a walker & had crutches at home. Both of those things require you to hop & you are very limited the distance you can go & where you can go. Steps on those – basically forget it. I’m a 51 yo male in pretty decent shape, but not an athlete. Before my injury I regularly walked ~ 7 miles a few days a week for exercise. I received the IWalk, put it together, & carefully paid attention to the adjustments & the correct way to do them. It’s fairly easy to put together (easier than a knee scooter) & it’s critical you set it up correctly. I also purchased a knee scooter at the same time. I watched the videos & learned a bit about it before using. One thing I’d like to say is the manufacturer mentions you need to be able to balance on 1 foot for 30 seconds to use the IWalk. I didn’t find that anywhere near true. I didn’t attempt it, but I really doubt I could consistently balance on 1 foot unassisted for 30 seconds. I could probably do 10 seconds, or whatever any normal person could do. This is no way made using the IWalk more difficult. Once I strapped it on, it was pretty intuitive. I could right away take steps unassisted. There is a space on the crutch to rest your hand on the side your foot is injured. This is important. While you can use it hands free, just regularly walking around it’s easier (& safer) to slightly “lift” the crutch with your hand and you step forward with it. If you don’t do this & are not paying attention, every once in a while you will misjudge lifting the crutch & the super sticky rubber foot will catch the ground as you left off & cause a “stutter” – like you you stepped on a shoe lace. This is easily avoided my either paying close attention when hands free or simply slightly lifting the crutch as you walk with your hand. There are 3 straps that hold this crutch to your leg. You want them TIGHT. Obviously, not cutting off your circulation, but tight enough that the crutch is one with your leg. A loose crutch can also cause this “stutter”. I will tell you in 10 days I have used this crutch heavily on all types of surfaces: uneven pavement, grass, steps, curbs, wet ground, etc & have not fell once. Once you master it, it will allow you to basically do anything you can do prior to your injury – it just takes longer. If done as directed, you can easily go up & down steps (with a railing). Low curbs can be done without holding on to anything & high curbs can be done with the aid of a can on holding on to something. If you’ve watched the videos, you can see all the things people can do with this crutch. They are 100% accurate. You just have to put in a little time to master it. The reason I sent the knee scooter back was it’s useless for stairs & it’s a big footprint so turning around is slow. The IWalk fixes all that. I was able to walk 2.25 miles around my neighborhood unassisted with just the crutch (see photo). I am able to easily get in & out of my truck, drive alone, & go places alone with the crutch (left foot injury). A small car may be more effort – but it’s certainly doable. You just get in your vehicle leaving the crutch leg hanging out & unstrap it while sitting on the seat, the place it it the vehicle. Once you’ve arrived you install it the reverse & you are free to go. I’ve been to the supermarket, post office, UPS store, convenience store, gas station, etc – all unassisted doing any normal activity with the crutch. You can stand alone unassisted (like waiting in line) once you master it. In fact, I even packed up my scooter in the huge box it came in, walked it out to my truck, placed it in the back seat, & walked into the UPS store carrying the scooter box using the IWalk. All unassisted. Once I realized with the IWalk can do – I knew the scooter was useless to me & going back to return. Ok, so some realistic advice. Some people short the IWalk because they say it’s a lot to take on & off. Well, I found if you are just going to the bathroom or something, you really just need to fasten the middle strap. It’s probably not the best idea, but I’ve even used it with no straps just to go a short distance. Again, I have not fell once. The crutch is built very well for the price point – it’s actually pretty brilliant. Honestly, working in the medical field, this thing could sell for 10x as much & still be worth it. It’s the only solution that allows you to do everything you did prior, it’s just slower & you need to take a bit more care. You just have to be motivated to do it. The more you use it, the easier it gets. The foot is a super grippy type rubber. Stickier than a sneaker. It really does not slide even on a wet surface. I use this to get in & out of a walk on shower very carefully with no problems. Surprisingly, even after being on your feet for a very long time(hours) my knee & shin was a little fatigued – but did not hurt. More like I needed a rest. I have yet to have any hip issues with it. Some tips: 1. Adjust & tighten everything correctly. Watch all the videos & pay attention. 2. Keep your eye on the ground in front of you & on the crutch foot. This helps a lot. Use a cane or a crutch to help the first time you use it to get the hang of it. 3. The straps have 2 adjustments – a long term & a short term cinch strap that allows you to get in & out of the crutch quick. Once you get the “long term” adjustment correctly- sew that part of the strap in that position. It does tend to loosen up over time & it’s a lot quicker if you don’t have to keep tightening that adjustment & the quick adjustment. 4. Periodically check everything on the crutch is tight. There are a few screws on the foot, the hip adjustment, & a clamp on the ankle part that can come loose. Just check them every 2 days or so. 5. As the directions say, make the hip adjustment high, it’s more stable. 6. Always hold on to something going up & down a curb or steps. I’ve learned to negate this on a high curb using a cane. Going down steps backwards is easier, especially if it’s many steps. 7. If you are on any type of uneven terrain – make very small steps. The smaller the steps the more in control you are. I was even able to go up a big muddy grass hill ok doing this. 8. Don’t swing doors & car doors behind you to close them. Turn around & close the door facing it. This makes it so you will now swing the door shut on your bad foot. 9. Only use hands free if you need to. Otherwise, hold the built in handle as I described before when making steps as a habit. Again, this thing is really a game changer. You just have to master it & take your time. 11/23/23 ******************* Below is an update/ edit. It’s now about 7 weeks I’ve been using the iWalk. I’ve used it quite extensively. In fact, I’ve been on it at work 8 hours without sitting down once. I’ve walked 4+ miles non stop with it. I’ve brought it on vacation to a tropical area outside the country where the temperature was 100 degrees F & the humidity is very high. I’ve worn it on the beach. It’s been exposed to salt water. I’ve walked on cobblestone streets, high curbs, wet sand, grass, dirt/mud, wet floors / wet cement / wet asphalt, & almost anything else that is out there. I’ve got it soaking wet from being caught in the rain. It’s been on 4 airplanes & through security at multiple airports. It’s literally been dropped & thrown all over many times. I hope the manufacturer of iWalk reads this – I have a few things that I think may be helpful…. 1. The knee / shin pad story… I’ve spent hours standing / walking with the iWalk without sitting or taking it off. I wore out the original knee pad ~ 2 weeks. The pad is foam & the foam compresses & doesn’t relax; providing significantly less “cushion”. This makes it feel like you are kneeling on hard plastic & makes a huge difference in the comfort experience & length of time you can use the crutch consecutively. Hours can go to minutes once the foam pad is worn out. I used it (too much) with the worn out foam pad & eventually got a pressure blister + significant soreness on my knee / shin before a new one arrived. The new pad helped, but we are dealing with dense foam that is about 1” thick if that. Even with the new pad, I already caused some topical soft tissue injury to my knee & shin from overuse of the crutch with worn out pad – so it still hurt even with the new pad. However, I did find a solution. The solution is to trace out the original knee/shin pad from the iWalk w/ 4” memory foam, cut it out, and use it as a “buffer pad” between your shin/leg & the stock iWalk pad. I happened to have an old memory foam mattress topper – which works perfect. You can likely buy 4” memory foam on Amazon, or bite the bullet & buy the smallest 4” memory foam mattress topperyou can find – then you can make additional pads. You simply sit your new memory foam buffer pad on top of the stock iWalk pad & affix it with 2 loops of quality medical tape going around the whole iWalk knee platform. You want the tape to slightly compress the foam just enough to hold it in place. This makes it much easier than having your new foam “buffer pad” fall off every time you remove the iWalk. iWalk needs to provide a pad like this or offer explicit instructions on making one. It makes a night & day difference. Even with prior knee/shin irritation I can again use iWalk several hours continuously comfortably. I feel like the iWalk is priced very reasonably. I think they should raise the price & provide a pad like this & another stock type pad stock with the crutch. You need 2 pads for extended use. One dense core & one very open core that can compress a lot (memory foam). This provided a comfortable interface for your leg & the crutch. For light use the stock pad is sufficient until it wears out. My iWalk has seen rain, high humidity, & high temperatures. The few tiny Velcro circle pieces that retain the foam knee pad to the knee platform became unglued on the pad and the crutch after a lot of use & moisture. I was able to re-glue the Velcro w/ Krazy Glue – bit a few wer lost. I feel iWalk could make a huge improvement by securing the pad with a much larger strip of Velcro & either improving the adhesive or providing replacement pre-cut pieces of self adhering Velcro with the crutch & charging you a few & more $. I fixed this by using Krazy Glue to adhere additional Velcro to the pad & knee platform. I lost one of the 3 foam strips that pad between your upper thigh/hip area & the crutch from the adhesive failing. I again cut out a piece of memory foam affixed it with glue this time. iWalk does sell replacements. However, memory foam is much thicker & provides much better comfort to the upper thigh. I feel iWalk could benefit by providing a thicker foam here (maybe 1”) & providing an additional set with the original purchase. It could only cost a few $ more & iWalk is so inexpensive for what it is a slight price increase wouldn’t hurt. Also, if you are in a long boot this will interfere with the iWalk knee platform. It can cause discomfort – especially if the boot has protrusions in the front. The solution is to use 4” memory foam as needed on the platform to shim/raise the boot so the protrusions aren’t hitting the knee platform. You will have to experiment. A short boot does not contact the crutch – so no problem there. I’d recommend a short boot with iWalk if possible. 2. The fasteners… There are many threaded fasteners that hold the crutch together. They do come loose with significant use. Theoretically, one could come out causing a fall. I’m sure iWalk tells you to re-check them periodically. I found that applying Loctite to the threads & making them as tight as possible by hand once you are happy with your adjustments will keep them tight long term. Also, there are plastic/metal cotter pin like “c-clips”at some of the adjustment points. I found extensive bumping around could possibly knock one out if you hit it just right. This isn’t a design issue, I feel like the design is adequate & good. Just as a precaution, I recommend wrapping them in electrical tape so they can not become unfastened no possible way by accident – especially the “c-clip” that’s in a blue plastic retainer “cage” that holds lowest main pole height/leg adjustment. The plastic retainer cage did come unclipped on its own somehow a few times & started to get a little mangled. Realizing loosing/damaging one of these clips means I’d loose my mobility until I got a replacement – I wrapped them all in tape to avoid any possibility of this happening. In a perfect world iWalk could re-design that lowest “c-clip” retainer cage somehow so it doesn’t use plastic; however I feel the current design is not a major issue. 3. The squeak… After a while the crutch will squeak. It’s not picky – but you will find it annoying. 95% of the noise comes from where the lowest pole goes into the plastic foot assembly. You can simply add oil around the lowest perimeter of the pole & it will sink into the plastic foot & stop the noise. It lasts about a week – then repeat. —— > Other than the foam pad(s), nothing on the crutch has failed after extensive use. The rubber “sneaker” tread is getting worn out, but they sell replacements. Walking on wet / slippery surfaces is almost as doable as doing the same with 2 feet as long as you are aware the surface is line that. If you are daring you can go up & down high curbs without assistance or holding on to anything once you get the hang of it. Steps will need a railing to go down forwards, or at least a wall to stabilize yourself to go down backwards. Backwards is better, depending what side your injury is & what side railing is on. Safely carrying multiple heavy bags or picking up heavy items is doable. It’s a good idea to keep your eye on the crutch foot if possible when walking. Small steps make it much safer over any uneven terrain. It’s a very good product that allows you to do about anything someone could do with 2 good feet. The only real area it could use some refinement is the knee pad.”

– Customer Review

“Not a lot of instructions in the pamphlet, but you can figure it out. Nice and sturdy. I think it will work well after surgery.”

– Customer Review

“My mom had foot surgery and was struggling with crutches, so I got her this knee scooter. She loves it! The wide base keeps her stable, and the dual brakes are easy for her to use with one hand. It’s sturdy enough to support her, and the foldable design means we can take it to her physical therapy appointments. The build quality is great—feels like a professional medical device, not a cheap toy. She says it’s made her recovery so much less stressful. Would definitely buy again.”

– Customer Review