seeing people on shows use canes incorrectly!! OMG YOU WILL HURT YOURSELF. STOP DOING THAT.
YES OMG STOP IT. This is one of my biggest pet peeves; people who know me irl probably have heard me rant about it. They make sure that the character walks funny to show that they’re really disabled or whatever, even though the WHOLE POINT OF CANES is to let you walk as normally as possible so you don’t screw up your body.
And this is actually legit damaging because no one tells you how to use a cane. Usually, you just get one, and then you use it the way you’ve seen other people use it, and if you only see people on TV with canes…you’re gonna use it wrong.
sorry to jump all over your post this just annoys me so much and your post came up first in the cripple punk tag so
If possible could you detail correct cane usage somewhere for anyone who might need it? (I understand if it’s a visual sort of instruction)
When I began using one, I looked on youtube for how-tos. It’s definitely necessary because, yeah, if people go by what they see on tv, they will likely start using it wrong and it’s really difficult to undo learning it that way.
Basically all there is to remember is that you use your cane alongside the opposite leg– not like the cane is affixed to the leg it’s closest to. If I’m holding my cane with my left arm, it’s following the right leg.
Anyone have an infographic? I do not.
here’s one i found! it’s a little confusing bc it starts at the bottom and you read upwards.
here’s two for stairs:
Here are a few!
Here is a very short video about using a cane. It’s very specific. I will say, though, that she mentions that “you’ll hear different people say different things” re: using a cane affixed to your “bad leg” but I gotta say, I’ve never heard a medical professional tell anyone to use a cane any other way than the way described in the video.
If you use a cane like Dr. House on House (for example), YOU WILL HURT YOURSELF.
I use my cane for balance, but I still use it as if I had a bad leg like described above. Sometimes the “good” leg will be bad and I’ll have to figure out how walk with the cane in my left instead of right hand.
What I’m saying is that this is the correct use of a cane even if you use it for different reasons than included in this post.
Making sure your cane is the correct height is also very important! Dr. House’s cane is TOO SHORT. He also uses it by holding the handle against his hip and pushing the tip out away from his body. This causes you to have lean to the side with every step. You will throw your back and/or hips out of alignment if you walk this way. Leaning to the side on your cane will also cause damage to your hand and arm joints.
Your cane should sit comfortably in your hand, should remain vertical when you’re standing still, and the height should allow your elbow to bend a little when you’re holding it standing up straight. If your elbow is fully extended when holding your cane at your side, it is too short.
^ all of this. i legit did research on how to walk w a cane before i got one. because otherwise… yeah. and i dont do it *perfectly* because sometimes it just doesn’t work with the ways my body allows me to move, but i never do that for more than a few minutes at a time.
and yeah. when tv people use canes in ways that will fuck up their bodies. im pissed. because i did have to go off google to correctly walk with one
queerhomestuck 