i bought a cane last year. in retrospect i wish i had had a cane around when i was 15 years old. hear me out. there are many reasons to love cane. Here's some times canes help me. maybe u want one too! (pls be careful tho if u get one u gotta learn how to use it right so u dont hurt yrself with it)
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ever pull a muscle or stub your toe real bad and now putting weight on that foot hurts? you'll be very happy that you already have a cane to help take some of the weight off.
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filled with dread any time you need to lean/squat down to clean items up off the floor? cane makes this way easier, because now your arm muscles can help lower you down and push you back up. this is why i vacuum with any regularity instead of declaring floor bankruptcy.
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frequently feel the need to sit down while standing in line? cane makes it easier to stand longer without feeling this, also makes it easier to sit down and get back up if you need to.
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seriously, sitting down and getting up from sitting is so much easier with a cane
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have trouble climbing stairs? cane in one hand, railing in the other hand, now you are dual-wielding climbing assistance
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getting in/out of cars a struggle? cane helped me.
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good for climbing hills
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good for descending hills
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scared of falling down on an escalator? cane helps.
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have trouble getting on and off a bus when its high up from the ground? cane can help you gradually lower yourself to reduce the work your knees put in. same thing for curbs without curb cuts
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if u need it, now u can sit in the front of the bus without people looking at u funny because lmao it turns out that visually indicating a disability is way more effective than telling people that many disabilities are invisible unfortunately.
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do u lose your balance a lot? cane is very good for regaining balance, or not losing it in the first places. good for progesterone dizzy spells!
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its a stim toy tbh
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u can put stickers on your cane like putting stickers on a laptop
if yr worried about social impact, my experience has been that people i already knew asked me "what happened" when i first got it and i just said i got it to help me get around and then they didnt care. i have never had a stranger ask me why i have a cane. most people dont rly seem to notice or care.
fyi the most natural way to walk with a cane tends to be to move it forward with the arm opposite the leg you're moving forward. so if its in your right hand, you move your right hand and your left leg together. then you move your right leg on its own. you can switch hands! i do this constantly. it takes practice. practice with yr cane.
u also gotta dial the height of the cane in properly or it can mess yr posture up. seriously, take some time on that one.
canes are based
