What is the purpose of using a cane? You might need to use assistive devices like walking canes for many reasons.
If you think when do I need a cane, The answer is when you are feeling back pain, knee pain, balance problem, hip pain, arthritis, stroke patients, and also for support after a surgery or leg accident.
When Do You Need a Cane?
Many health and physical conditions may arise due to age, disease, or accidents.
When do you know it is time for a walking cane? Conditions that require a cane might be back pain, hip & knee pain, and balance & stability issues.
When you are suffering from body pain & balance problems, you should get a cane for helping with mobility.
See also: Best Walking Canes of 2022.
What Injuries Require a Cane?
Injuries to the leg, hip, knee, the spinal cord might force you to use mobility assistive devices like canes.
You must use canes or other devices for good body form and movement.
Using the cane helps you not to use the injured body parts & as a result, people recover quickly.
Stability
If you are having problems with being stable, then surely you will fall & hurt yourself.
And, you won’t be able to move comfortably if you are being affected by stability problems due to health issues.
A quad cane might prove a good choice for giving good stability & support.
Seniors
Mobility problems are often seen in senior people due to old age.
At that age, it is tough to walk around without good support.
In those cases, using a cane or other assistive devices can make life much more comfortable & easy.
The canes provide support & stability.
Back Pain
Chronic back pain patients will be greatly benefitted from using a cane because they tend to lean towards one side while walking & the cane helps people with good balance & help to stand upright.
A cane is good if back pain is generally on one side.
Neuropathy
Neuropathy which causes muscle weakness & numbness with pain often leads to people not being able to walk freely and comfortably.
The canes and other assistive devices are much welcome to those people as the devices support them & help them with stability problems.
Arthritis
Arthritis which is the swelling of joints ultimately often leads to people not being able to walk well because the swollen joints cause pain & stiffness.
The canes and other assistive devices will greatly help people with arthritis problems by supporting their weight and assisting with their balance.
Hip Pain
People with hip pain cannot move around comfortably without feeling much pain in the hips.
In those cases, using a cane can help reduce stress on a painful hip.
People will be able to walk more comfortably with less pain if they are using a cane to move around.
MS Patients
MS is a serious illness that might cause permanent damage to body nerves which ultimately will make walking painful for people.
For MS patients, using canes & other assistive devices can prove to be very useful for supporting body weight & keeping good stability.
Parkinson’s
Parkinson’s disease leads to difficulty in movement and balance & co-ordinations problems.
And this is why mobility assistive devices like canes will help those people with movement & balance problems.
A rubber-tipped straight cane with comfortable hand grips will provide good support & comfort.
Knee Pain
Knee pains will make it painful for you to walk around.
That’s why assistive devices like canes can help a great deal with movement & solving balance problems.
You should walk holding the cane in your hand which is opposite to the painful knee.
Stroke Patient
Walking is a very important exercise for stroke patients.
And patients who put more than 40% of body weight on the lower limb might have difficulty moving around.
The canes and other assistive devices can provide much support for walking & balance problems.
Spinal Stenosis
The spinal cord helps most with keeping our balance and body form but spinal stenosis is a condition which is the narrowing of the spinal cord that might make walking painful & difficult.
A cane & other assistive devices can help a long way with supporting body weight & providing good body balance.
Balance
If you are having balance problems then you might get injured & will not be able to walk freely.
Without good balance, it is impossible to walk around.
And for that reason, you should use canes & other assistive devices to help you with your balance problems.
Elderly
Seniors face many health & physical issues which diminish their senses & cause muscle weakness and cause problems with walking.
Canes and walkers will help the elderly by providing good support & balance.
The canes also help to put less stress on the body & help alleviate pain in joints and legs.
Can a Doctor Prescribe a Cane?
Yes, a doctor can prescribe a cane to you.
The doctor after checking your physical conditions and checking your mobility problems can write a prescription stating that the patient needs to use the cane for medical purposes.
This prescription will surely help you with any legal problems in the workplace or anywhere.
You should go to a doctor to show your physical problems and should always follow the guidance of the doctors as to how to use your canes best.
Conclusion:
Now we hope you will get to know your thought-out answer about when I need a cane.
You will be able to figure out that in several cases using a cane is profitable & useful.
And we have already learned from here that many people with different physical conditions, diseases, and health problems will need to use mobility assistive devices like canes.
Those assistive devices help people in many ways by keeping comfort & body balance.
