How To Get Your Cane Height Right

Here are a few tips if you don't have access to a physiotherapist to do this for you.

Why is it important to have your cane at the appropriate height? 

It is easy to alter your posture to accommodate a cane at the wrong height, and then very easy to cause other injuries because of this poor posture/alignment. 

How do I measure? 

I think the easiest way to measure the height is to use the wrist crease. You will find this on the inside of your wrist. Stand and relax your arm by your side. Adjust your cane height vertically to the ground from the wrist crease. 

Check that your elbow remains slightly bent (about 15◦) and is not fully straight when you apply weight. 

How do I adjust an aluminum cane? 

Most will have an anti-rattle collar. Unscrew this, then press in the push button and adjust the height. Once you have the correct height, remember to tighten the anti-rattle collar. 

Watch out for my video on this, coming in 2017! 

R. Sian Owen

Registered Physiotherapist

How To Walk Correctly With A Cane.

If you ever watched House MD, you may have noticed how awkwardly Dr. House walked with his cane. That's because it was the wrong height for him, and he was holding it in the wrong hand. 

Canes must fit your body height and proportions. See last month's blog for how to make sure your cane is the correct height.

Then, 

1. Put the cane in the opposite hand to the injured leg. If you have a problem with the right leg, put the cane in your left hand. This is important because it allows normal arm swing when we walk, and normal biomechanics. Thus, we reduce the risk of injuring other parts of our body. Remember how twisted House's body looked when he walked? He was at risk of back and/or shoulder pain. 
2. Put the cane forward in line with your right leg. Weight bear through the cane at the same time as you take weight through the leg. Try and keep good posture throughout, and you will minimize the risk of other problems. 

How do I walk with 2 canes? 

There are 2 ways of doing this, depending on your balance and how bad your injury is. 

1. Put both canes forward at the same time as weight bearing through the injured leg. This works well if your injury is severe or your balance is not so good.
2. Start as for one single point cane. Left hand with right leg, then the second cane in the right hand with left leg. This takes a bit of practice, but if you can master it, it is close to normal walking and will help your body minimize the risk of any injuries from using the canes. This method is easier if your injury is less severe and your balance is ok. 

You'll be able to check out my video on this - coming soon! 

Next time, I'll talk about how to go up and down stairs with a cane. 

R. Sian Owen PT, Registered Physiotherapist 

Why do we use a cane and what types of canes are there?

Cane tip, single point cane, mini quad cane, wide base quad cane. 

1)    Why do we use a cane?

A cane is used to assist with walking or standing, when our legs are compromised in some way, such as with a fracture or a stroke. It allows us to use our arms to help take the weight that would normally go through our leg. 

2)    Types of canes.

·      Single Point Cane (SPC)

These can be metal or wood. The benefit of the metal cane is it can be adjusted up or down to the correct height, whereas wood can only be cut down.

·      Quad cane. (Four legs)

These are used when more support is needed; perhaps balance is compromise as well. There are different sized bases, with the bigger base providing more stability. The down side of having a bigger base is it can catch in narrow spaces/doorways, and cannot be used safely on slopes or uneven ground.

·      Tripod. (Three legs)

This is used for more support, as for a quad cane above, but less stable.

Other considerations

·      Make sure the cane tip is not worn down and has some traction when you weight bear through it.

·      Be sure to buy a cane with a comfortable handle for you so that your hand doesn’t get sore while you are using it.

See http://www.walkingaidreview.com  for more detailed information

In my next blogs, I will talk about how to measure and adjust the height of a cane, and how to walk with your cane.

R. Sian Owen

Registered Physiotherapist