Just before my 40th birthday in 1982 I was diagnosed with chronic osteo-arthritis affecting my knees and hips making walking difficult.
My doctor advised I walk with a cane for support and quit my exacting job. Was she kidding? Canes were given as joke gifts to folk on their 40th birthdays but this was no joke! I hated the idea, but I followed her advice.
I began to research the history of canes. They had once been a fashion statement, used by royalty and nobility, everybody wanted one and many jewelled and magnificent canes were produced. They had a rich and interesting history so why now were most of them utilitarian?
With my newly-gathered information in 1983 I began a cane consultancy, Cane & Able, by appointment only from the hallway of my home. Offering a wide range of attractive canes, cut to the correct height with advice on how to walk, store and enjoy the benefits of a cane. It was a unique business.
Over the years it grew in reputation if not profit and afforded me amazing media coverage. I had celebrities and well-known people visit.
In 1990 this led to a paperback book of my personal journey being published by Impresa Communications, Supporting Myself in Style. Confessions of the Cane Lady. The book is now out of print, the business closed in 2003, but the myth of The Cane Lady still lingers. We regularly receive phone calls looking for attractive canes, or asking for advice so here are a few tips:
The correct length of a cane is very important, if too long it causes wrist and shoulder aches and pains, if too short it causes back ache. To correctly measure put on the shoes you normally wear and place the cane handle on the floor, run it up beside your leg and hip. Now hang your arm down loosely by your side. The cane tip should come to the crease on your wrist, mark the cane there, or preferably get someone else to mark it. When doing it yourself stand erect as if you lean forward to look, the cane will be too short! For adjustable canes the setting should be the closest one to the crease, not quite as accurate but best you can do.
The cane should be carried on the opposite side to the problem leg, it is meant to act as a counter-balance. Don’t look at actors on TV who inevitably and instinctively have it on the weak leg side. I spent countless hours trying to correct the entertainment profession to little avail.
Canes fall often so if you turn your cane upside down and place it against the wall when not in use, the rubber ferrule at the bottom should hold it in place.
Don’t put it on the roof of the car when driving, if you need to put it down to open the door, put it across the wind- shield so you won’t drive off and lose it. I sold dozens of replacements to those who ignored this advice.
The handle should be comfortable to hold and easy to grip, many fancy handles are sold making the cane top heavy and poorly balanced. When the rubber tip (ferrule) wears, replace it as once it loses its grip so might you. As we age and shrink the canes should be shortened accordingly. Unfortunately I have to shorten mine each passing year!
Lastly remember, it used to be a popular fashion item, and everybody wanted one. “Cane” is not a four-letter word, but “fall” is.
Make friends with your cane, and learn to Support yourself in style.
