Four experimental axillary crutches, along with conventional crutches, were tested by five disabled subjects and five normal subjects, with knees flexible and with knees immobilized to simulate paraplegic conditions. Experimental crutches included a suspension crutch, rocker crutch, spring crutch and prosthetic foot crutch. Active and resting heart rates were recorded, along with average velocity to calculate an energy expenditure index for each trial. No statistically significant energy savings were observed with the experimental designs. However, the suspension crutch was the most energy-efficient of the experimental crutches and is worth exploring further. In addition, immobilizing the knees of normal subjects is judged to be an effective method of simulating paraplegic crutch ambulation.