Should the Rollator Brakes be Activated when a Patient Sits down without Armrests?

The question may seem simple, but it regularly comes up in field practices, particularly in geriatrics, rehabilitation, or at home: should a patient be advised to lock the brakes of their walker (rollator) when sitting down, in the absence of armrests?

This question raises important biomechanical issues related to balance, placement of the center of gravity, and the postural strategy spontaneously adopted (or not) by patients.

Sitting Safely: a Matter of Biomechanics

To sit down without falling or losing balance, the patient’s center of gravity must be above their support points. This positioning is achieved by tilting the trunk forward: head and shoulders lean forward, while the pelvis moves backward.

However, this forward leaning movement is often hindered by improper use of the rollator, especially when:

• The brakes are engaged and lock the walker,
• The rollator is placed too close to the body,
• The patient fears losing balance if they lean forward.

The Paradox of Brakes

Although it may seem counterintuitive, locking the rollator can increase the risk of falling backward, especially in patients who already tend to sit with a slight backward imbalance, with little forward inclination.

When the rollator is fixed, it doesn’t follow the patient’s natural forward movement. Result: the person loses balance backward, unable to move their anterior support. This often generates a fear of “tipping over”, which worsens the withdrawn posture.

Clinical Recommendation: Avoid Brakes, Promote Adjustment

It is often safer not to activate the brakes when “a patient” sits down “using” a walker without armrests. This allows the device to move slightly to follow the body’s movement, while providing stable support as long as the support is vertical and not oblique.

Reassurance: the Walker Will not “Slide”

Many professionals (or relatives) fear that the rollator will roll and cause a fall. In reality, if the patient applies vertical pressure (and not oblique pushing), the rollator remains stable, even without brakes.

The Wheeleo®, designed to offer continuous support and natural movement, perfectly respects this logic: it allows fine adjustment of positioning while maintaining stability, which facilitates sitting, standing up, and maintaining balance.

What to Do if the Patient Has Difficulty Leaning Forward?

Sometimes a patient may not spontaneously manage to lean their trunk forward. In this case, it is helpful to:

• Release the brakes (if they were engaged),
• Encourage them to push the rollator slightly forward to help initiate the movement and place their center of gravity above their support points,

This simple change in instruction often changes the entire dynamics of the gesture.

Special Cases: when should the Brakes be Applied?

There are, of course, exceptions. Here are two common cases:

1. When the patient wishes to sit on the rollator seat itself, the brakes must be engaged in “parking” mode to ensure safety.
2. When “there are armrests (chair, armchair, toilet with armrests)”, the question of braking the rollator becomes secondary, as sitting is done with direct lateral support. The use of armrests, even if it helps cushion the sitting, does not help the patient lean forward safely.

Conclusion

The reflex to “apply the brakes for safety” should be nuanced depending on the situation. In many cases, leaving the rollator free allows for better accompaniment of the patient’s natural movement, facilitating forward leaning and thus stabilization of the center of gravity.

Once this logic is understood and experienced, both patients and professionals notice an improvement in fluidity, confidence, and safety.

This reflection constitutes a basic choice in my practice: by default, I do not recommend engaging the brakes. However, if clinical observation shows that activating the brakes truly improves safety or fluidity of movement for a given patient, then obviously one should not hesitate to use them. The question therefore deserves to be asked in each individual situation: should the brakes be engaged or not?