I just bought a HURRY Cane. You know--it's the one advertised on TV' It has a tripod base I have the one my dad used until his death at age 93 but I like the tripod base on this new one. I can walk fine without a cane but this new one will come in handy when I get out of bed in the morning very stiff from my Rheumatoid Arthritis and as my aging process continues I may have to use it more often.
I like using a walking stick when I'm in the woods and I suppose if I were to take up walking as a hobby, I'd bring one with me.
Ren I have the same problem getting up in the morning as you...and although once I'm up and about I can walk quickly, and upright most of the time .. I have Osteoarthritis in my Spine, and some mornings it's difficult to haul myself out of bed because of the stiffness and pain, so I have the cane...a very pretty pink fold up one right next to my bed!!...I've also got one next to my desk so that after I've been sitting for a long time at the computer, sometimes I need a helping hand up...and the cane is great for that..it just helps me straighten right up without trying to grab hold of a chair arm or something
I have a set of crutches that I can use when walking is not going good, and I also use a walking stick if I am out in the woods; it not only helps me with walking support, but also with my balance. For me, a lot of the walking issues and pain seem to come from two sources, and I am working on both of those industriously. The one thing that will get me the quickest is if I am eating foods with sugar and starch in them; and as long as I stay away from things made with sugar or flour, I usually do not hurt or need the crutches. The other issue is muscle tone. When I was younger, I worked hard all of the time, and walked a lot, rode horseback, swam, and did other things that kept my muscle tone in good shape. After the heart failure, I couldn't even breathe, let alone walk; and my whole body lost its muscle tone. Since we started going to the fitness center and I have been doing the water exercises which help build up my legs and arms, and my back muscles; I can now do a lot more things than I could have even thought of doing a year ago. Exercises that I could not have even begun to do in the gym, I can do in the water, and i am becoming a lot more agile again. Truthfully, I am more healthy now, in my 70's, than I was at any time during my 60's; so never let age be a determinating factor in what is possible as far as maintaining , or regaining, your physical strength.
I don't want to think of it but I had to admit that I would be needing a cane sooner or later. Aside from the bulge in my leg, I have pains in my knees. In fact, I was complaining to my husband this morning that in spite of my dieting, my weight stagnates at 170 pounds. And the talk went to exercise and the morning jog. I said to my husband that I don't think I'm still capable of jogging because I worry about my knees. And he quickly agreed that I should be conscious of my knees and feet. When my religious friends in the neighborhood planned a mini pilgrimage to a church in the nearby province, one of them declined for reason of walking difficulty. She needed a cane, she said. And although she is not poor, maybe she has no budget for buying a cane. What I did was to buy a cane in the drug store and offered it to her. She was very happy during the pilgrimage because of the new cane. And she was overjoyed on our way back home when she learned that the cane was my gift to her. That trip was early this year.
My Mother uses a cane that the hospital gave her, Kaiser takes good care of my Mom. It's a little candy-cane one that's black. I put a little tennis ball so it won't slip when she uses it. I ask my Mother if she wants a HurriCane that I see at Walgreens for about $35. My Mom is happy with her candy-cane cane and doesn't want the HurryCane.
I used a cane, Candy Cane shape, after I stopped using a Walker when I had hip replacement done in 2005. When I went back to work, after that surgery and PT, I used that cane. Have't needed one since, but we have two nice wooden ones if ever needed. We both get up in the mornings with some stiffness, but after being up awhile and moving around, it goes away. And, here I thought retirement was suppose to be fun and exciting. At least that's what some commercials on tv show.
I've graduated from cane to walker/wheelchair, depending on conditions. Got several canes around here someplace. Best one is an old thick and sturdy hickory cane my dad had.
I don't use one naturally, but my mother has a multi colored one that is really spiffy looking. She and my uncle both have orthodpedic problems, and I hope I never get them. My mom should have had her knees replaced I think, but she isn't into that whole thing,,,so she suffers the consequences.
That's why I had the hip replacement done and both shoulder rotator surgeries.......so I wouldn't have to face consequences with not having the surgeries. Unfortunately, some osteoarthritis has set in to all three areas after the surgeries. Not bad pain, but all three areas let me know when the weather is about to change or if I've overdone doing something.
I have 2 brothers who use a cane. One uses a tripod cane. It seems to me that the tripod would be sturdy. I would trust it over the traditional cane.