Mary Ellen "Charlie" McKenna

Ataxia Balance Crutches were designed for people who want  to maintain the ability to walk on their own. As a new alternative to wheelchairs, walkers and other types of mobility devices, which can have de-conditioning side effects such as the loss of endurance or cardiovascular health, the Ataxia Balance Crutches are ushering in a new era of mobility for people with balance-related disabilities. 

Founder and President
Ataxia Balance Crutch

​A physical therapist treating pediatric clients and patients with neurological disorders for forty years, Charlie McKenna helped hundreds of patients find greater mobility and improved quality of life.
 
Then, one patient changed everything. 
 
A young man – a longtime patient of Charlie’s – came to see her. He was battered, bruised, and his nose was broken. Refusing to use a walker (“They’re for old people,” he said) he was using standard crutches to get around. The result: a terrible fall that landed him in the emergency room.
 
Seeing this patient suffer – physically and emotionally – in his determination to walk despite his balance and coordination challenges, got Charlie thinking: There had to be a better way.
 
The next day, with supplies from a home improvement store, she began building prototypes of a crutch that would help people with balance issues walk safely. The design evolved and with the support of a medical device manufacturer, four years later Charlie received a U.S. Patent for her innovative crutch design, and the Ataxia Balance Crutch was born.
 
Today, Charlie is solely focused on getting Ataxia Balance Crutches to the people who may have no other safe options for walking. As the founder and president of Ataxia Balance Crutch, LLC, Charlie is helping patients, and the medical professionals that support them, take the right step toward greater mobility.

Learn more about people using the Ataxia Balance Crutches:

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Cory's Story: a broken nose changed everything
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​Anastasia's story:  i've got my life back now          
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