Can I take crutches on a plane even if I'm not using them?

I was in St Louis a month or so ago and tore ligaments in my ankle that required crutches to go back to Albuquerque with. I am able to get around without my crutches now and am going back to St Louis so I figured I would take the crutches back with me so I can return them to the store I got them at and get my deposit back. Would I be better off checking the crutches at the airport (Although I don't want to pay for oversized bags with Southwest) or can I simply carry them through the airport and onto the plane itself with no problems?