To start using walking aids was a huge step for me. And I bet it is/was the same feeling for the rest of you.
I started using a walking stick about one year ago. In Scandinavia we have something called Nordic Walking and it’s an exercise where you walk with two walking sticks on bare ground. (More about Nordic Walking) Most sport shops in Norway sell these sticks in pairs, and you can see people out exercising with their walking sticks here and there.
Well, I bought a pair and started using one at the time. Two if it’s icy outside. But the thing is if I dress up, it feels like the “sporty-look” stick ruins my outfit… So I asked a friend who is painting cars to paint one of the sticks black. When he had a black car in for painting, he called me, and then he used a dash of the same color on my walking stick. Yes I AM vain! I know I know 🙂
My pretty stick to the left, my sporty stick to the right…
Good reasons to start using walking aids when balance and coordination is getting poor:
- The support will help you walk better, that leads to…
- …less strain on knees, ankles and hips, that leads to…
- …less pain that leads to better walking!
- People tend to be more considerate
- They will let you use the Handicap track at the airport..fantastic 🙂
- People understand that you are not drunk!
Why I prefer the Nordic Walking sticks:
- They’ll let you rotate/counter rotate your upper body better than for example with crutches and that gives you a better walking pattern.
- Less strain on your shoulders
- I look more active than sick, maybe…
Easy to change to ice peg. Not all countries have snow and ice on the streets like we do in Norway. But the peg can even be useful on wet wooden floors also. The rubber end tend to be slippery on wet wood.
This fall/winter is the first that I’ve started freezing up and become unable to walk when it’s dark, cold, rainy and there’s even a slight downward slope. I didn’t have this problem last year. So I ordered a pair of nordic poles which arrived a few days ago. I was afraid of being seen with them though so I haven’t used them yet. But maybe if I paint one black… 😀
I too have Late Onset Friedreich’s Ataxia. I was diagnosed in 2010. My wife discovered your blog today, so I’ve started reading it. I plan to read all the entries in chronological order. It seems to me that you were in 2011, when I am today, in 2017.
Thanks so much for sharing your experience and expertise. It helps! I’ll try to give back with my learnings, if they worth sharing.
Hope you’re in good spirits!