Huge improvement on average walker wheels
I bought these &#34;off-road&#34; walker wheels for a relative who is recovering from a mild stroke. He is at the point where he is supposed to be walking more and more each day. He has been cleared to do some of that walking outside in the driveway and even in the yard. It turns out that the thin 5&#34; gray walker wheels that come on a standard walker don't work so well outside. I haven't had to use a walker before, but I gave it a shot and could feel how much the wheels bounced when they hit a little piece of gravel or a seam in the sidewalk. The grass? Disaster. The wheels sort of sunk into the damp ground and then I was stuck.<br /><br />New wheels were a must.<br /><br />I ended with these wheels from North American Health and Wellness. Unlike a lot of the walker wheels sold as &#34;off-road,&#34; this pair had tread and was wider than normal wheels. Both of these factors are needed to make a significant difference in how the walker will handle rough spots in the road.<br /><br />These wheels do come on standard 1&#34; wide walker wheel attachment tubes. The axels on these wheels are higher than the regular wheels, so the setting for the tubes will lower than usual by 3 clicks. My relative usually has the wheels at a 7; for these, a 4.  *** I don't think these wheels will work for a person whose walker wheel tubes are typically set at lower than a 4. *** They go on just like regular wheels. To make it easier to go through doorways, you may want to turn the wheels towards the inside of the walker.<br /><br />The package also includes 2 of the biggest walker skis I have ever seen. We have not installed these yet as the physical therapist recommends staying with the caps on the back of the walker for a while. The skis are made of a thick, smooth resin and look like they will work well.<br /><br />My relative has absolutely loved these wheels and finds them to be a ginormous improvement upon the old wheels. We don't think the tread makes that much difference as it is a fairly wide and shallow pattern that wouldn't get much traction. But the width of the wheels just gives him more stability, inside the house and out. Gravel on the sidewalk is not a problem anymore, and neither is grass. He also finds it easier to _stop_ on the wood floors inside the house, which I was unaware of being an issue. The material of the tires has slightly more give than the hard gray tires he had before; it must be just enough to respond to the exertion of pressure. However the tires work, he feels more stable and is happier about doing the physical therapy.<br /><br />Do I recommend these wheels? Yes, if your doctor or physical therapist also recommends them.  =-)  I am not a doctor or a physical therapist or anyone else that knows how a change like larger tires on a walker could impact your or a loved one's physiology. Because I have not seen tires like this at any home medical supply company, what I would recommend if you want to try them is to just buy them and take them with you to your or your loved one's medical appointment. It will be easier for your medical professional to assess impact if they can see the wheels you're talking about and compare them to what you have now. And if they don't work out, you can return the unused wheels. There are other options that might work better for you or your loved one. This is just the pair that I ended up buying for my relative.  =-)
Rating: 5 stars