With the accelerating global aging process, the problem of mobility impairment caused by lower limb function decline in the elderly population has become increasingly prominent. As a key rehabilitation assistive device to improve mobility and walking safety, the adaptability of walkers to the lower limb kinematic characteristics of users has become a research focus. However, the dynamic coordination mechanism between current walkers of different types and structural parameters and the activities of the hip, knee, and ankle joints of the elderly remains unclear, resulting in a lack of sufficient theoretical support for personalized adaptation. This study aimed to explore the dynamic adaptation mechanism between ambulation modes and lower limb joint movements by quantitatively analyzing the effects of different mobility aid types (frame-type/wheel-type) and structural parameters (height/width) on the lower limb kinematic characteristics of elderly individuals, thereby providing a theoretical basis for the personalized adaptation of mobility aids. Six healthy elderly participants were recruited, and the Vicon optical motion capture system combined with the OpenSim simulation platform was employed to collect lower limb joint kinematic data under three conditions: independent walking, walking with wheel-type mobility aids (5 widths × 5 heights), and walking with frame-type mobility aids (5 widths × 5 heights). Changes in the flexion-extension angles and angular velocities of the hip, knee, and ankle joints were quantitatively analyzed.The results show that for the hip joint, mobility aids restrict its range of motion. Under the configuration of frame-type mobility aids with H50 (5.0 cm higher than the standard height) and W60 (1.5 times the shoulder width), the gait is closest to the natural state. For wheel-type mobility aids under the same configuration, the reduction in hip flexion angular velocity is 10% or less, resulting in better gait propulsion capability. At the knee joint, frame-type mobility aids significantly limit the flexion angle (with a reduction of 15%~20%). In contrast, under the configuration of wheel-type mobility aids with H50 and W40 (equal to the shoulder width), the knee flexion range ranges from -60.41° to -5.95°, and the angular velocity is close to that of independent walking. Regarding the ankle joint, the wheel-type mobility aids configured with H0W50 (standard height +1.25 times the shoulder width) and W70 (1.75 times the shoulder width) exhibit the largest range of motion (-8.4° to 18.13°). For frame-type mobility aids, the H50 configuration achieves a balance between stability and flexibility.In conclusion, frame-type mobility aids enhance stability by restricting joint movements, making them suitable for elderly individuals with poor balance and slow walking speed (the H50 + W60 configuration is recommended). Wheel-type mobility aids are more conducive to maintaining the naturalness of joint movements, thus being suitable for users requiring higher gait flexibility (the H50 + W40 configuration is recommended). This study provides empirical evidence for the design of personalized rehabilitation assistive devices and adaptation strategies.