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Information about canes/walkers
- Not all people need a cane or walker.
- Sometimes people only need one until their balance improves.
- It is much safer to use a cane or walker than to hold the walls or furniture for support.
- How to use a cane.
- The cane height should be at your wrist bend when your arm is comfortably at your side. This allows a small bend in your elbow for ideal support.
- Your cane should be opposite your pain, weakness or problem. This means that if your left leg hurts, your cane should be in your right hand. If you don't have pain then put the cane in the hand that feels more natural.
- If you are using a cane then it should hit the ground every time your opposite foot hits the ground, not just now and again to steady you.
- How to use a walker.
- The walker height is measured the same way the cane is measured. The walker height should be at your wrist bend when your arm is comfortably at your side. This allows a small bend in your elbow for ideal support.
- I prefer walkers with wheels on the front, so they can be supportive like a grocery cart.
- You should not be all the way inside your walker, or completely outside the back of the walker. If the walker is the correct height and you have your arms comfortably bent it will guide your body to the correct position to operate the walker.
Experienced (Certified Vestibular) Therapist
Danielle Spivey, MSPT
Danielle Spivey, MSPT has a Master of Science degree in Physical Therapy that she received from Regis University in Denver, Colorado in 1999. Her research topic was on the reliability of the sensory organization on balance, which started her in the direction of vestibular rehab. She headed the balance center at Parkview Hospital in Pueblo, Colorado for five years an started a balance center at Orthopedic Rehabilitation associates in Colorado Springs in September of 2004. She passed the vestibular competency exam with Susan Herdman PT, PhD at Emory University in March of 2004. In addition to her work at Orthopedic Rehab, she has taught and currently teaches other therapists in the area of vestibular rehab.
Frequently Asked Questions about The Balance Center
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