The weightbearing shoulder

To determine the effect of the swing-through crutch-walking gait on shoulder degeneration, 20 shoulders were examined in ten patients who had used the swing-through gait for a mean of 8.7 years. No degenerative changes were found in the 20 examined shoulders either clinically or radiographically. A special X-ray view was determined to assess potential degenerative changes. The patients showed a mean increase in the forearm bone density as a result of their crutch-walking gait.