Last summer, it started hurting me to walk. After being shuffled from general practitioner to podiatrist to orthopedic surgeon, I learned that I had to have foot surgery. Because of how the doctors were going to cut into my foot, I wouldn’t be allowed to put weight on my foot for three weeks. Crutches were not recommended, and we decided on a knee scooter.

At first, knee scooters might look fun, like a really convenient scooter-bicycle combination. They’re easy to ride over smooth, dry, flat surfaces and can actually go remarkably fast.

But once the rider gets into a mud puddle or near a flight of stairs, the difficulty starts. Like wheelchairs and crutches, the scooter is not a pair of human legs and cannot negotiate obstacles like we’re accustomed to.