walking with a stick

[Dr Jekyll]

Watching '24 hours in A & E' the other night, it featured a woman who lost her right leg below the knee in an RTC. At the end of the program she was walking with an artificial leg and a stick, but she was using the stick on the left. I'd have thought you use the stick on the same size as the dodgy leg to take the weight off it. Is this normal?

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I had 6 months with a stick recently - left leg out of action , stick in right hand

[Muntu]

Dr Jekyll said:

Watching '24 hours in A & E' the other night, it featured a woman who lost her right leg below the knee in an RTC. At the end of the program she was walking with an artificial leg and a stick, but she was using the stick on the left. I'd have thought you use the stick on the same size as the dodgy leg to take the weight off it. Is this normal?

Just think about it for longer than 5 seconds

[Chilli]

Muntu said:

Just think about it for longer than 5 seconds

[buzzsaw]

Muntu said:

Just think about it for longer than 5 seconds

Thought about it for at least 10 seconds and..no..nothing?

Using the stick is more about helping balance than taking weight off the prosthesis.

[mrpurple]

buzzsaw said:

Thought about it for at least 10 seconds and..no..nothing?

Using the stick is more about helping balance than taking weight off the prosthesis.

Must confess it confused me when I had to use a stick, in fact I couldn't get the co-ordination right and only used it for a few days instead of the weeks I was told to. But then again I have always been an awkward so and so

[Speedracer329]

I walk with a stick & the main reason for this is pain in my right hip, although it does affect other areas too. I always hold the stick in my left hand because it is much easier to balance, so seems perfectly normal to me.

[motco]

When the weight is on the left leg, the lifting of the right leg to swing it forward involves contraction of muscles in the left to pull/rotate the pelvis towards the left. This action loads the hip on the left so using a stick to aid lifting the right leg relieves the load on the right hip joint. Counter intuitive it may be, but I had a hip injury a couple of years ago and can verify the effect!

[Du1point8]

When I broke my right leg, I was told to use the stick in my right hand, otherwise it will fk up my right hip swinging the leg around and using it in my left hand despite the fact it was easier to use and lean on when in the other hand...

[Steffan]

Childhood accident (I was and have remained nuts) falling 40 feet from a tree (stood on wrong branch) aged eight and I have serious spinal issues as a result and on occasion have been paraplegic in consequence at times over the last 60 odd years. I have used one and two sticks variously as the problems have risen and fallen. Occasionally wheelchairs are the answer although good neurosurgery has me on my feet currently.

I invariably use a right hand held stick although the injury is to my left spinal column side and left leg. I did dislocate my right hip at the same time. Quite a comprehensive daft trick really. I think being right handed may be the deciding factor but it does seem to be personal choice in reality.

[Dr Jekyll]

Thanks for the replies, I was thinking perhaps using the stick outboard of the dodgy leg causes you to twist round. Perhaps it depends on what exactly is wrong with the leg.

[Speedracer329]

Steffan said:

I think being right handed may be the deciding factor but it does seem to be personal choice in reality.

This is a good point to make, I ought to have said that I am left handed.

[WinstonWolf]

Dr Jekyll said:

Thanks for the replies, I was thinking perhaps using the stick outboard of the dodgy leg causes you to twist round. Perhaps it depends on what exactly is wrong with the leg.

Nope, stick goes opposite the injury

It is so much easier that way.

[NDA]

Steffan said:

Childhood accident (I was and have remained nuts) falling 40 feet from a tree (stood on wrong branch) aged eight and I have serious spinal issues as a result and on occasion have been paraplegic in consequence at times over the last 60 odd years. I have used one and two sticks variously as the problems have risen and fallen. Occasionally wheelchairs are the answer although good neurosurgery has me on my feet currently.

I invariably use a right hand held stick although the injury is to my left spinal column side and left leg. I did dislocate my right hip at the same time. Quite a comprehensive daft trick really. I think being right handed may be the deciding factor but it does seem to be personal choice in reality.

Yikes - your parents must have been beside themselves. Not good for you either of course!

[Steffan]

NDA said:

Steffan said:

Childhood accident (I was and have remained nuts) falling 40 feet from a tree (stood on wrong branch) aged eight and I have serious spinal issues as a result and on occasion have been paraplegic in consequence at times over the last 60 odd years. I have used one and two sticks variously as the problems have risen and fallen. Occasionally wheelchairs are the answer although good neurosurgery has me on my feet currently.

I invariably use a right hand held stick although the injury is to my left spinal column side and left leg. I did dislocate my right hip at the same time. Quite a comprehensive daft trick really. I think being right handed may be the deciding factor but it does seem to be personal choice in reality.

Yikes - your parents must have been beside themselves. Not good for you either of course!

I think it was a happy surprise to my parents that I did not manage to kill myself doing daft tricks. Arrow in the eye unsuccessfully trying a William Tell episode was another, burying myself underground in my attempt at trench warfare was a third. Fortunately both my parents were very well grounded and simply rejoiced in the fact that I survived.

I am not quite as mad nowadays but I am still quite crackers. No fun in being normal IMO. Life is there to be lived, providing you do not actually kill yourself in the living! Grab every opportunity because if you miss them in this life you permanently miss them. Carpe Diem must be the way! For me at any rate!

[Sticks.]

Similar injury to Steffan, I use two, but when I use one it's on the stronger, right side, but then am right handed too.

It's a different technique for crutches altogether.

[Dolf Stoppard]

While I'm not sure if it's any different when walking with a stick, a crutch goes on the opposite side to the injured leg. You then swing forward at the same time as the injured leg which spreads the weight between the crutch and the leg. This is something I've been forced to learn over the past week...