Tubular crutch construction

Claim 1

In a crutch of the type having a pair of tubular bow members, said bow members having upper ends connected by an underarm support, said bow members having spaced apart upper portions, angled sections between two bend points and parallel lower portions each terminating in a lower end, a carrier tube supported between said lower portions by fastener means spaced along said carrier tube, a crutch leg telescopable within said carrier tube, and means for releasably locking said leg to said carrier tube at a selected relative extension therefrom, the improvement wherein said lower portions are progressively crushed along said lower portions between said upper and lower carrier tube ends from a cylindrical tubular shape through one or more intermediate partially crushed sections to a substantially fully flattened double walled state, said fastener means including upper fastener means securing said carrier tube to each of said bow members at a location significantly upwardly of both said partially crushed and fully flattened sections, and lower fastener means securing said carrier tube to each of said fully crushed lower ends; said lower fastener means consisting of two lower rivets, each rivet passing through both said walls of one of said crushed lower end and the wall of said carrier tube, said lower rivets each having a substantially flat rounded rivet head external to said fully crushed lower ends such that the lower portions of the bows are substantially protected against catching on staircase edges and the like.