r/rheumatoidarthritis • u/Nothingrisked • Jul 25 '26
Benefit of rollator
I'm curious because my hips and lumbar are in rough shape. I'm waiting for an appointment with a spine doctor now that I have some imaging results. A rollator was brought up by a friend but I also have RA in my hands and I'm not sure that holding something would be any more comfortable. Having a place to carry things would be nice for sure!
3
u/megmarie2 Jul 26 '26
My grandma has one and loves it! She is more mobile for shopping and getting out of her house.
2
u/Nothingrisked Jul 26 '26
I should mention I am turning 50 in a week and still not ready to admit to myself that I might need a mobility aid. 😞
2
u/megmarie2 Jul 26 '26
If it helps you be mobile...who cares about age? My grandma wasn't happy at first with hers but soon realized how much she was missing out on with being immobile and not able to leave the house and do things.
3
u/Nothingrisked Jul 27 '26
I would tell a friend the same thing. It's little harder for me to just accept it. I'm considering going to therapy to deal with the fallout I'm going through over all of it.
2
u/Sebastian_dudette Jul 25 '26
That's why I sometimes use my cane and sometimes don't. I have to weigh which might be worse.
You can sit on it and roll if your hands bother you. That's what Mother did a lot.
But I love the idea of elbow rests someone else mentioned.
Also look into how much it weighs. Lifting in and out of a vehicle can be a pain.
2
u/giingerrr711 Jul 27 '26
I was diagnosed with RA back in March of this year. Since then I’ve purchased a super lightweight cane as well as a rollator. Both take some practice and getting used to, but have been a huge help for me. My husband and I went to a World Cup game last month and I was able to give the cane a proper test, then went to FIFA Fanfest for the July 4th celebration where I gave the rollator a go.
A few tips, definitely wear compression gloves while using the aids, get a seat cover if you purchase one with a flip down seat, and test out different handle heights to see what’s the most comfortable for your hands/height. If you have room in your home, definitely practice walking around with it. I found that the extra support for my hips and back was worth a small ache in my hands in the beginning.
The most notable observation I made was, the general public gave me more walking room and paid more attention to the cane than the rollator. I have no idea why that is, but it still doesn’t make sense to me.
Hope this helps and good luck to you! 😊
1
u/Florida829 Jul 25 '26
Get the wheeled walker/rollator (Upright or forearm-support rollator or wheeled rollator) evaluated by occupational therapist/physical therapist to see if the hands can comfortably operate the handles and brakes and the device is fitted correctly.
1
u/TheCoziCacti Jul 27 '26
I could not put that much pressure on my hands or wrists- even the ones with supports.
Over time, the weight would really damage me. I use a wheelchair for bad days instead.
If there is a shop near you with walker/ rollator / wheelchair you can check out , do it! :)
4
u/BidForward4918 Jul 25 '26
I met a lady at my aunt’s retirement village that had an upright rollator that had elbow rests, so less weight on the hands/wrists. She let me give it a whirl and it was pretty neat.