I admit I haven’t been the most active person in the world. I grew up pretty athletic. I played sports in school and joined the Marines right out of high school. Most of my jobs as an adult were pretty physical and involved a lot of walking or standing.
Over the years, I had various levels of soreness in my left hip, but usually some stretching made it ok. But now I’m 52 and that same hip hurts all the time. For the longest time I tried to ignore it, only to end up with my right and left hips hurting duet to my over compensating.
About ten years ago I had bought a wooden cane with a skull topper as a Halloween prop. It was a real working cane, I thought the carved wood looked better than the plastic canes at Spirit Halloween. I kept it for years just because it was cool. Now I started using it as an actual cane. It had taken some adjusment and I love the way it looks, but this cane had some drawbacks.
Mainly at my height, 6 feet tall, this cane was just a few inches too short. I have to lean with it, and then that causes pain in my lower back. Then there is the handle, which was just the rounded skull knob on this one. Which made it difficult to use and could make my hand cramp after some extended usage.
So, despite aesthetics being so important to me, I had to get a cane with function over form. This is just a normal lookng metal cane. It folds up to be packed away when needed, I can adjust the height to a comfortable height, it has an ergnonomic handle and the base is flexible and pivots when you walk making it easier to traverse different surfaces.
Taking it out today for a walk around the Mission near by it felt good, though I was getting sore by the end, but that’s likely if I’m more out of shape, than the cane itself.
I will admit, I felt weird being only 52 needing a cane. I remember my grandma using a cane and she was in her 70s. I was worried people would think I didn’t need it or was faking or some other weird thing. But people are usually pretty respectful and if nothing else they try to be helpful when going through a door or something..
My need to always please people or feel like I owe people an explaination started to fade and I began enjoying using it more. Sometimes when I walk with it I’m not in any pain at all. So, I’ll take a step or two with out it and my hip catches. Sharp, intense pain then shoots up my left side and I remember why I have it. Its one of those things, when its working you forget you need it.
That’s how you know its working. Its kind of like my psych meds. I’ve tried to stop taking them at times because I felt better. Only to find I felt better because the meds were working.
One thing you learn quickly needing a mobility aide is how how difficult accessibility can be if you use one. Going up stairs or certain doorways are tricky at times, but I can usually figure it out. Trying to carry things is a whole different story. I use a cross body bag now when I go out to help me carry stuff I need.
While having a super cool looking cane would be my preference, I need something that is more comfortable first and foremost. To anyone who is younger and finding yourselves needing a mobility aide, I will just say use what you need and don’t worry about needing help to get around. I want to keep going for walks and staying active so I don’t end up in a wheelchair too soon.
Needing a cane so young feels weird, but I think its something I can get used to, and having it will make me want to get out more. Do whatever you need to do in order to stay mobile and visible. It will be worth it later.
Leave a Reply