Patent ID: 8869812

Claim:
A shock absorber insert for a walking aid, the walking aid including upper and lower support members, each of the upper and lower support members having a shaft at least partially enclosing an internal space of the walking aid, the shock absorber insert comprising: a piston cylinder comprising an abutment surface; a piston rod configured to move axially within the piston cylinder and having longitudinally spaced upper and lower rod portions; and a damper located on the lower rod portion of the piston rod and abutting the abutment surface to reduce the speed of movement of the piston rod within the piston cylinder, the piston rod extending longitudinally through the damper; wherein the shock absorber insert is configured to be removably fitted entirely into the internal space of the walking aid collectively formed by the upper and lower support members of the walking aid; wherein the piston cylinder is configured to be attached to a chosen one of the upper and lower support members of the walking aid and the piston rod is configured to be attached to an other one of the upper and lower support members of the walking aid, the attachment of the piston cylinder and piston rod to the upper and lower support members of the walking aid occurring without longitudinal movement between the piston cylinder and the chosen one of the upper and lower support members of the walking aid and without longitudinal movement between the piston rod and the other one of the upper and lower support members of the walking aid when the shock absorber insert is removably fitted into the internal space, the shock absorber insert as a whole permitting mutual longitudinal movement between the upper and lower support members; and wherein at least one hole chosen from a plurality of holes in the shaft of at least one of the upper and lower support members of the walking aid is initially provided for direct mutual attachment of the upper and lower support members together and is used to interpose the shock absorber insert, when present, between the upper and lower support members in a retrofit manner.