Something no one warned me about as a cane user
Before becoming disabled I always assumed that mobility aids would remove/prevent pain, like all the ads and doctors say they will. Then I became disabled and walking became painful and I was told a cane would help, so I got one. And it does help, but it doesn’t actually prevent my pain so much as relocate it. For instance, a long walking day without a cane used to mean basically unbearable pain in my legs the following days. But now, after a lot walking day with a cane I still have a decent amount of leg pain, not nearly as bad, but I also have moderate wrist and arm pain. Obviously taking the weight off my feet means it’s on my arm, and I logically knew that, but never really processed it in my mind or understood that of course that would be painful! My arm wasn’t built to take that much weight for so long; obviously that’s going to make it hurt. Of course, this is still way better than going without my mobility aid, but I think it’s so weird that no one— not doctors, not my physical therapists, not even other cane users—ever brought up the possibility of arm pain up before suggesting mobility aids. And sometimes when I meet other cane users I ask them about it, and they fully agree that they experience arm or wrist pain, or sometimes hand cramping when they hold the cane too tight or for too long. Just kinda weird. Fellow cane users, were you warned about this? Or is it something you hand to find out on your own?
Edit: I’ve been fitted, and talked with both my doctors and my physical therapist and had the fit checked with my PT and we looked at different types of grips and lengths for different shoes and all the stuff. It’s not a fit issue