METAL WALKER

 

While returning from the Post Office yesterday, I saw an elderly man pushing his walker across the parking lot on the way to his car. He was tall and gaunt taking small slow steps for his size. What stood out to me was the walker. Nothing special, two black wheels on the front as you would expect. What I would not expect is to see the two back legs lacking any protection. As he moped along, he did not lift the two back legs but dragged them, scratching and grating on the pavement, wearing down the thin aluminum. He must have exerted more pressure on the right side because this leg was now shorter than the left.

I wondered if he had friends or relatives who could point out to him that tennis balls had more uses than just for playing tennis. A picture of the floors in his house flashed thru my mind.

What are the benefits of putting tennis balls on walkers. The short version is that people put tennis balls on walkers for two main reasons: to make the walker quieter and to make it easier to push, not to mention floor protection. While there are plenty of benefits to putting tennis balls on walkers, there are also some potential disadvantages. Not every solution like this is perfect for every person. Three potential disadvantages of putting tennis balls on walkers. It could tip in some situations, can come off easily and is harder to push on some surfaces such as carpet.

Tennis balls can help in a number of ways, but the short version is: it makes the walker experience a lot better.