How to choose a cane for people with knee osteoarthritis or the elderly?

Article by Doctor Vo Khac Khoi Nguyen - CKI Doctor - General Surgery Department - Vinmec Central Park International General Hospital

Cane support is a way to support movement for the elderly or people with knee osteoarthritis that is recommended to practice. Correct use of the cane reduces the load on the painful joint, reduces the risk of falls, and helps the patient to move more steadily. When putting on a club, we need to make sure as much of our body weight is loaded through the club as possible. This is important because it helps protect the knee joint from further damage and inflammation. The questions patients often ask us are: 1) How much weight do people with knee arthritis have to support through a cane? 2) How can the club support the most body weight?

Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disease worldwide. Patients with knee osteoarthritis often present with gait changes due to pain, muscle weakness, joint deformity, and joint instability, resulting in an unstable gait and greater loss of energy when walking. Thus, this increases fatigue and muscle weakness in elderly people with knee osteoarthritis. The main function of the cane is to assist in this mobility by improving the balance of the center of gravity and sharing the body load with the upper extremities, through the direct effect of force on the grip of the cane. Cane support also gives patients more confidence in performing daily activities and reduces the risk of falls. This is inherently an important problem in the elderly. Patients with osteoarthritis of the knee should use a cane when walking to improve gait and reduce stress on joints and peri-articular structures that are often overloaded.
In people who have never used a cane before, the beginning of using a cane often creates anxiety about psychological problems and confusion in operation. In these people, issues related to club technique, mounting, knowledge of benefits and motivation play the most important role in their confidence in wanting to use the club. Independent determinants of cane support include older age, higher body mass index (BMI), duration of knee pain, and severity. Those are also the factors that motivate patients to use a cane when moving. Therefore, we should focus on an individual's ability and motivation to use a cane that may increase cane acceptance in people with knee arthritis.
In addition to helping to reduce the load on the knee joint, the benefits of the cane have many other positive effects for people with knee osteoarthritis. Studies have proven that the correct use of canes helps to reduce exertion and energy expenditure for the elderly, reduce the risk of falls, reduce consumption of anti-inflammatory drugs, reduce osteoarthritis pain, and improve physical function and contribute to improving the quality of life for patients.
Increased load on the knee joint will lead to the risk of severe progression of knee osteoarthritis. Interventions that can reduce the load on the knee joint, such as using a cane, and losing weight, will help slow the progression of the disease over time. Using a cane can support up to 10% of your body weight when moving. If the patient is trained in correct cane technique, up to 25-30% of body weight can be supported.

Today, clubs are sold in a variety of styles, colors, materials and types. Of these, wooden and aluminum clubs are the most widely used. The aluminum club has the advantage of being light in weight and adjustable in length. While wooden sticks feel more solid and heavier.
The shaft is also very important. Select the shaft for patient comfort, grip, and the ability to provide the right surface to effectively transfer weight from the upper extremities to the ground. The right handle allows weight to be transferred to the center of gravity of the cane, thereby increasing the support and improving the patient's balance.
The length of the club is the length of the swing arm of the force applied. Therefore, the choice of club length is the key point to decide the load capacity of the body. There are different methods for estimating the proper length of a club. The methods of measuring club length from the floor to the great trochanter of the femur or from the floor to the distal wrist crease are the most commonly used methods. The length of the cane can also be determined by the formula: Height of the patient (meters) x 0.45 + 0.87 (meters). The patient is leaning on the cane in an upright position, the cane is placed on the side so that the elbow is bent about 15 degrees, this is the cane suitable for the height of the body.
In short, surely at some stage, each of us needs a walking stick. The use of sticks seems to be simple but also very elaborate. This is reflected in the selection of clubs to suit the body, there are many issues to pay attention to. Understanding the role of the club, as well as the basic principles when choosing a club will help you find a club that is right for you. A suitable cane will help you feel more confident when moving, because then the club and you are two but one to create stability for the body.
Vinmec International General Hospital is a general hospital that has the function of examining and treating musculoskeletal diseases such as arthritis, degeneration, hernia, joint pain, .... At Vinmec also has perform diagnosis and treatment with modern medical methods for musculoskeletal diseases, not only bring high efficiency but also minimize complications of recurrence. The great success is because Vinmec is always fully equipped with modern facilities, examination and treatment procedures are performed by a team of experienced doctors.