UPWalker Original Upright Walker - Size Standard (Stand Up Rolling Mobility Walking Aid with Seat)

I have "severe end-stage knee osteoarthritis" according to my orthopedic doctor. My doc tells me that I qualified for knee replacement back several years ago. I know that knee replacement is in my future. But I want to get the most out of my "factory installed" knees before I go that route. So instead of undergoing knee replacement, I run-walk marathons. Really. Exercise is actually good for arthritic joints if you can tolerate it - the movement pushes blood and synovial joint fluids into the joint itself, helping to keep them lubricated naturally. And the more natural lubrication we can get into our joints, the less pain and stiffness we will have to endure. Alot of people don't realize it, but the knees do not have blood vessels that carry blood into the knee joint itself the way that most other body parts do - these joints must rely instead on our movements to push the needed blood and lubricants inside them. (That is why we older folks tend to get stiff overnight, or any time we haven't been moving around much - we NEED movement to keep our joints well lubricated and to keep from feeling stiff in a way that younger folks do not. Surprisingly, movement actually works better than Granny Clampett's "rumatiz" medicine for relief from those stiff joints, LOL!) For the fourth time in as many years, I will be run-walking 100 miles over the Labor Day weekend, as a participant in an ultra-marathon down in Manchester, Tennessee (A Race for The Ages ultra-marathon). (Note that a full marathon is only 26.2 miles, so I will be doing the distance of almost 4 full marathons, back to back, in a single race over a single weekend). This race is unique in that it is actually designed to be "elderly run-walker friendly," unlike most ultra-marathons that are geared towards young, elite runners. Over half of the race participants, in any given year, are over age 60 - and several are over 80! The older you are, the more time you are given on the course to complete your miles - each race participant is given one hour on the track for every year they have been alive. I will be 65 on Labor Day, so I will be allowed 65 official hours on the race track to accomplish my miles. The oldest race participant last year was 85 years old, so he was given 85 official hours to run or walk his miles. This race is unique in that it actually tries to level the playing field between those blessed with young, healthy bodies and those who are older and beginning to break down. Because the race is "elderly friendly," one of the ways it is different from other races is that it allows the use of walking aids for those race participants who have documented medical need for that kind of equipment. In previous years, I have done my 100 miles with only a walking cane during the later miles. But my knees are getting worse over time. So that is why I got this walker. Can you imagine how much pain I would be in, if I had to hunch over a regular type walker mile after mile, hour after hour, as I slowly ran-walked 100 very long miles in the southern heat? Instead, I will be doing most of the race this year with my new UpWalker. I have been training with it for several weeks now, as I prepare for the big race. My longest session thus far using the UpWalker is about 6 hours of continual run-walking on a paved walking path in a local city park. I will need to use it alot longer - and for many more miles - than that practice session, once I get to Tennessee for the big race. For the most part, it has performed excellently thus far. It can get a bit unstable if you roll it on large, loose rocks, but that is to be expected. Most people would never do that, but some city parking lots can be paved with large, loose gravel found loose on top of the paved surface, so I tried my UpWalker on that kind of surface, just to see what would happen. I didn't have a problem controlling the walker on that parking lot, but I could see where someone who was weaker than myself might have problems. I was pleasantly surprised with just how easy the thing is to manuever. There are alot of curves along the walking path that we will use for our race in Manchester, and I am expecting it to handle those fine, even when I am hot and tired. There are several curbs along the route we use for the race, and I will lift the walker over the curbs when I encounter them. I don't anticipate problems with that. The only time that its weight can pose a problem (for this small, 65 year old lady) is getting it into and out of the trunk of a car. So I stick mine into the area between the front and back seats of my Toyota Camry, and find that a bit easier to do. My husband - on the other hand - has no trouble getting the walker in and out of the trunk. Best I can tell from my practice sessions with this UpWalker, it should help me to do my 100 miles with alot less knee pain this year. It performs so well that I can even run using it!

It takes a while to adjust to steering - I found it too light - I added some weight to it and made adjustments, works ok now but walk with it in reverse when needed - haven't tested it on any terrain. Too expensive.

In June of this year I weighed just under 300 pounds. I sat at home almost all the time. Because my knees are bone on bone, every step I took, even with massive amounts of pain killers, was excruciatingly painful. I qualified for knee replacement except for my weight. I had already proven that if I could walk, I could lose the weight. Just a couple of years earlier I had lost 120 pounds, then as my knees worsened and I stopped walking, I gained it all back. I went to several doctors and all turned me down because of my weight and I was discouraged and headed toward a deep depression. I knew something had to change. I decided to put my house up for sale and in a short period of time had a contract. The day after signing the contract, my hip broke. The rehab facility had a walker that had been pieced together to mock the function of an Upwalker. Immediately, I was able to walk about three times further than I could with a regular walker. The physical therapist knew someone that had an Upwalker and told me about them. I researched the Upwalker and decided that I couldn’t afford not to purchase one, especially with a hope of losing weight to get both my knees replaced. I had it delivered to the rehab facility. The physical therapist and I made all the adjustments needed in just a few minutes and I was off and walking. Since then I have been walking as much as I possibly can, and I have now lost the weight I needed to in order to have my knees replaced—about 75 pounds in just over five months!! I still can’t stand but about ten minutes at a time, but one recent day, my step counter said I walked over seven miles—nearly every one of those steps with my Upwalker. Being able to put the weight on my forearms and elbows has made all the difference in the world. Upwalker is sturdy enough and easy enough to maneuver and lift into and out of the car I can use it daily on well maintained, level trails, so I’ve been able to get out in nature and pick up my camera (I’m a photographer) again. I left my depression behind when I moved and am happier now than I have been in years. I can’t wait to ditch the pain meds. I see the surgeon on the 11th of this month to schedule the first surgery. Bellingham, WA, where I live, is rich with wonderful trails through woods. Whenever I am on a trail, I always get stopped at least once and frequently three or four times by someone curious to learn about my walker. It draws a lot of attention. I get stopped so frequently, I need to record a commercial, so I can just hit play! It needs the video as well as sound, so I can demonstrate how easy it is to adjust for each person. I have offered to meet loved ones that weren’t with the people inquiring to let the person they think could use the walker try it out, or to talk to them to explain the difference between Upwalker and regular walkers and what a difference it has made to me. Even little kids as young as four want to know about my walker. After a recent wind storm that left the trails littered with limbs and branches, I claimed the title of Trail Queen, and I would tell little kids I would declare them Trail Princes and Princesses if they would pick up and move just three sticks from the trail to help me to walk easier, and they loved it. I hope I am helping to raise awareness that even these tykes can make a difference and that walkers are nothing to be afraid of. I also get a lot of comments of encouragement, comments about the mud on my wheels, or how determined I must be to be further down trails that a lot of able-bodied people. I have inadvertently become a sales rep for Upwalker and I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if the sales in this area have seen a recent significant uptick. Personally, I would love to hug the neck of the person/team that engineered this well thought out and beautifully executed product. I truly believe it has almost singlehandedly saved my life—literally.

This thing is really great. I’ve been scared for years about days when I’m super wobbly or have a lower body injury. My right wrist can’t take any weight & my left shoulder is a problem too. Not only does this solve that but it also lets me stand straight so I’m not triggering major pain in my back or neck that would happen with a regular walker. Plus I was worried how I’d carry things if I was injured. This solves that, not only with the cup holder & bag, but a plate or tray fits really well on the seat. It’s super well designed, really sturdy and really easy to make all of the adjustments to make it fit me personally. The packaging was clever & made it easy to get out. The very few things I had to do to set it up were easy. The big wheels have no trouble going up & down over thin & thick rugs, or dog toys as it turns out too! Though it does make a loud thump going back from rug to wood/tile floor, which freaks my dog out a little and might be anproblem if you have downstairs neighbors. The turning radius is pretty tight. The only issue is that it is wide. I can take it everywhere in my house except the bathroom doorway, and that’s OK. I know it’s expensive, but if you can afford it, it’s a terrific aide, so comfortable to use. And for me it means not living in fear anymore. That’s huge.

Still unpacked as I was waiting for snow to melt and I would be able to use it outside as it is too large for my home. Unsure if my legs will allow me to walk distances so I am considering donating it to our local hospital.