How to Measure and Fit a Walking Aid Correctly

Published 2 July 2026

A walking aid only helps if it is set to the right height. Too tall and your shoulder hitches up, forcing weight through your wrist and neck instead of down through the stick or frame. Too short and you stoop forward, which shifts your balance over your toes and makes a fall more likely.

You need only your usual shoes, a flat floor and ideally a helper. This guide covers sticks, rollators, walking frames and crutches, the checks that tell you something is off, and where to get a free NHS fitting. Still deciding which type of aid suits you? Start with our walking aid buying guide.

Measuring for a walking stick

The standard NHS method uses the crease on the inside of your wrist as the landmark. At the correct height you keep an upright posture with a slight elbow bend, letting you push down so the stick takes some of your body weight.

• Put on the shoes you wear most often. Heel height changes the measurement.
• Stand upright on a flat floor with your arms hanging relaxed by your sides.
• Ask a helper to measure from the crease on the inside of your wrist straight down to the floor.
• Set the stick so the top of the handle sits level with that wrist crease: press the spring button, slide the shaft to the nearest hole and check the pin clicks fully through.
• Grip the handle and check your elbow bends slightly, around 15 to 30 degrees, with your shoulders level and relaxed.

Hold the stick in the hand opposite your weaker leg, and move the stick forward at the same time as that leg.

Common walking stick mistakes

• Measuring in bare feet or slippers, then wearing outdoor shoes with a heel.
• Measuring to the fingertips or hip bone instead of the wrist crease.
• Inheriting a stick from a relative and never adjusting it. Fixed-length wooden sticks must be cut to size.
• Leaning or hunching while being measured, which bakes bad posture into the fit.
• Using two sticks set at single-stick height. A pair is held slightly in front of the body, so both need to be a little higher.

Setting rollator and walker height

The same wrist-crease rule applies. Stand upright inside or just behind the frame with your arms relaxed at your sides, and adjust the handles until they sit level with your wrist creases. Grip the handles and your elbows should bend slightly, with your back straight.

Most rollators adjust with a push button or clamp on each handle stem. Set both sides to the same number, and make sure any locking pin is fully seated before you lean on the frame. Handles set too low tip you forward over the wheels, which is how a rollator ends up rolling away from its owner. Too high and your shoulders ride up, tiring your arms and reducing the weight you can put through the frame.

Non-wheeled walking frames follow the same measurement, with one extra check: all four legs must be set to the same height so the frame sits level. Weighing up frame styles? Our rollator vs walker vs tri-walker comparison explains which suits indoor and outdoor use.

Fitting crutches

Elbow crutches are the standard UK type. NHS Fife’s physiotherapy guidance sets them up like this: stand upright in flat, supportive shoes with your arms relaxed and a slight bend at the elbow, place the crutch tip on the floor about 15 to 20 cm out from the side of your foot, and adjust the leg so the handle lines up with your wrist crease. The plastic cuff should sit just below your elbow, roughly two or three finger-widths beneath the joint, so it steadies your forearm without clamping the elbow itself.

To adjust, press the two spring pins together, slide the leg to the right hole and check both buttons protrude fully before taking any weight. Your weight goes through your hands on the grips, never through the cuffs. Follow your hospital or physiotherapist’s instructions on how much weight to put through an injured leg.

A quick reference table

Signs your walking aid is set wrong

• Your wrist, shoulder or neck aches after short walks.
• Shoulders pushed up towards your ears when gripping, a sign the aid is too high.
• You stoop or lean forward over the aid, a sign it is too low.
• Your elbow locks out straight when you put weight through the handle.
• The stick or frame catches the ground mid-step.
• A rollator feels as if it is pulling away from you on slopes.
• You feel less steady with the aid than without it. Stop using it and get it checked.

Ferrules and maintenance

The ferrule is the rubber tip on the bottom of a stick, frame leg or crutch. It is the only thing gripping the floor, and it wears out faster than most people expect. Check it every few weeks: if the tread has worn smooth, or the rubber is split, cracked or hardened, replace it. Ferrules cost a pound or two from larger pharmacies and mobility shops, and NHS physiotherapy departments will replace them on loaned equipment.

While you are down there, check the rest of the aid. Handles and connecting parts should have no wobble, adjustment holes no cracks, wooden sticks no splits or bends, and rollator brakes should bite firmly on both sides. Wipe metal aids clean with a soft cloth, and avoid storing them anywhere that drops below freezing, as cold makes rubber brittle.

When to get professional help

Self-measuring works well for a simple stick or rollator, but some situations call for a professional fitting. After surgery or a fracture, the hospital physiotherapist should set up your crutches or frame before discharge. If your balance has worsened, you have fallen, or using the aid causes pain, ask your GP for a physiotherapy referral. Many areas of England now let you self-refer to NHS physiotherapy without seeing a GP first.

Your local council’s adult social care team can also arrange a free occupational therapy assessment at home. Where equipment is recommended, walking aids are usually supplied on free long-term loan through NHS or council community equipment services; the aid stays their property and goes back when you no longer need it. If you would rather go private, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy runs a directory of registered physiotherapists.

Frequently asked questions

Which hand should I hold a walking stick in?

The hand on the opposite side to your weaker or painful leg. Move the stick and the weaker leg forward together, then step through with the stronger leg.

How often should I replace the ferrule?

Replace it as soon as the tread looks smooth or the rubber shows cracks. With daily outdoor use that can be within a few months. A worn ferrule on a wet pavement is a genuine slip hazard.

Can I get a walking aid free on the NHS?

Yes. After an assessment by a physiotherapist or occupational therapist, walking aids are normally loaned free of charge through NHS or council community equipment services. Routes in include your GP, self-referral to physiotherapy where available, or your council’s adult social care team.

Do I measure with shoes on or off?

Shoes on, and specifically the pair you wear most. Even a 2 cm heel changes where your wrist crease sits. If your footwear varies a lot, an adjustable aid lets you tweak the height to match.

The bottom line

Stand tall, arms relaxed, and set the handle level with your wrist crease. That one rule fits sticks, rollators, frames and crutches, and a slightly bent elbow confirms you have it right. Get a free professional check if you are in any doubt, then browse our walking aid reviews to find equipment worth adjusting in the first place.

Official sources

• Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust: Keeping active and using a walking aid
• NHS Fife Physiotherapy: Using elbow crutches (PDF)
• NHS Lothian Physiotherapy: How to use a walking stick (PDF)

Published 2 July 2026