NCLEX-RN Crutch Walking Cheat Sheet (Free Printable)

If you are preparing for the NCLEX-RN, crutch palsy is exactly the kind of question the exam likes: a small equipment error with a big, testable consequence. Resting body weight on the armpit instead of the hands puts crutch pressure on the radial nerve, the nerve that runs from the armpit down the back of the arm to the hand, and that pressure can cause a mononeuropathy, an injury to a single nerve. This cheat sheet walks you through why it happens, what the radial nerve controls, including the triceps, bending the wrist and fingers backward, and feeling on part of the back of the hand, and the signs to recognize: wrist drop, weakness and loss of finger coordination, and tingling or burning in the thumb, second and third fingers, and back of the hand. It also covers prevention with elbow padding and supportive splints, treatment that starts with finding and treating the cause, and the outlook. Review it before you practice crutch-walking scenarios, because these are the details the exam expects you to catch.

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Crutch palsy facts per cited source - fitting, gait, and stair values vary; follow your facility protocol

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