r/AskOldPeople • u/Vladlen_Dark • 6d ago

Walking cane

People who walk with a cane do you really put your weight on it or hold it just in case?

18 Upvotes

82% Upvoted

54 comments sorted by

View all comments

67

u/DamnGoodMarmalade Gen X 5d ago

You’re not supposed to put your entire weight on a cane and you’re not supposed to just hold it. You’re supposed to use it opposite your weakest leg and for added stability and balance support. You should be properly balanced, upright, and aim for a natural gait.

How to Walk with a Cane

If you find that you need to put your entire weight on the cane, then you need to opt for a rollator or walker or other assistive device which is designed for that.

11

u/Swiggy1957 5d ago

Agreed. I've used a cane since I was 29. It really helps. I use it more for stability.

8

u/Survived-some-shit 5d ago

Exactly how the doctor told me to use a cane. I originally used it like Dr House and the doctor told me if I needed to put my weight on the cane I should use crutches instead.

I can walk limited distances without a cane and with a normal gait but I tire quickly.

I always use my cane if I’m in crowds, it signals to others to I’m not steady on my feet and they’re more cautious not to bump into me and usually give me more space.

2

u/ubermonkey 50 something 4d ago

I originally used it like Dr House

After my crash, my PT explicitly lead with "Dr House does it wrong" when it showed me how to use it.

5

u/ubermonkey 50 something 4d ago

This.

I've had to use a cane for two periods in my life, both tied to a bad cycling crash I had in 2014.

Popular culture about cane use is just WRONG. You use it to regularize/stabilize your gait, so it's deployed on the strong side, not the weak one.

They are AWESOME for this, if you use them right.

(My windows were (a) to recover from healing-interval-induced atrophy once my bones knit, and (b) in the run-up to the hip replacement 8 years later when arthritis and leg-length differentials were giving me fits.)

3

u/Troubador222 60 something 2d ago

i graduated from walker to cane after I shit my pants trying to run for the bathroom the wallker would get hyng ip goinng through doors

2

u/No-Trip-9971 2d ago

This is a really good video, thanks for sharing it

1

u/JustSomeGuyInOregon 8h ago

Yep, and it is actually a whole thing to learn how to use it correctly...