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There are many reasons a person might need a walking stick.  You might feel unstable while walking or standing, or you might be embarking on a serious trek and feel you need the additional support, you might need one briefly while you recover from an injury, or, like many blind people, you might prefer a walking stick to a cane.

Whatever your reason for needing a walking stick, it’s important to choose the right sized walking stick for your body. The best way to do this is to locate the bones that stick out of your wrist, about an inch above the base of your thumb. When you stand and hold your arm straight down, your walking stick should come up to this bone. This will allow your arm to be slightly bent while holding the stick.

Next, you’ll need to learn to walk with your stick. First, decide which side of your body is the weakest – this will be the side with the injury, if you have one – and hold the stick in your opposite hand. You should naturally want to hold the stick in a certain hand, or lead with a certain foot – this should tell you which side of your body is the strongest.

Start by putting all your weight on your strong leg. Now, step forward with both your weaker leg and your walking stick. Now that the weaker leg and the stick support your weight, you can move forward with your strong leg. It will take time to get used to the walking stick. Make sure you place it securely before you move, and don’t push it too far ahead of your body, or you could trip, and that wouldn’t be any good!

Once you’re feeling confident with level surfaces, it’s time to practice walking up and down stairs. You can use these same techniques to navigate most kinds of surfaces. Stand at the bottom of the stairs and lean on your stick and weak leg while you use your better leg to climb the step. Then bring your leg and stick up to the next step, and so on. To climb down again, your stick and weaker leg go first. Bring your better leg down to stand on the same step, then lower your stick and leg down again.The most important thing to remember while learning to use your walking stick is to take your time! There’s no rush, and the faster you try and move, the more likely you are to do yourself serious injury.

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Walking stick tips:

• Wear sensible shoes – no high heels!
• Beware of ice and slippery surfaces
• Watch out for “wet floor” signs inside buildings.
• Be careful on escalators and boarding trains, as your stick can get stuck in the gaps
• Don’t try and beat revolving doors and traffic lights – you could push yourself too hard and injure yourself further.
• Have a rest – walking can be hard work!