I see a lot of posts around this time of year that talk about getting a mobility aid if you need one and that you aren't "not disabled enough" to get one if it'll help, which is true! But I don't see a lot about making sure you get the right mobility aid. You do need to do some research to make sure it's the correct one for your needs, because using the wrong one long term will hurt you. If you can see a specialist about it that's even better, but that's not accessible to everyone.
One thing I see a lot is people suggesting canes as a catch-all mobility aid for everyone who has mobility issues. Canes are not for weight bearing! If you use a cane for heavy weight bearing long term, you will hurt your wrists and back! Canes are for balance. There are also different types of canes, but someone else can probably explain those better than I can.
A crutch/pair of crutches is better for bearing weight, particularly forearm/support crutches if you're going to be using them a lot and don't want to strain your wrists, or platform crutches if you don't have a lot of arm strength.
Walkers/rollators are good for if you do have arm and hand strength and need a place to sit down or need to carry a lot with you, but very very bad if you can't weight bear well with your arms or pull the brakes easily. You will often need to be able to use your foot to maneuver it over a slight lip, too. If you can't do all of those things you will hurt yourself.
Wheelchairs are a whole lot more complicated and I don't feel qualified to speak on that (I've only ever used improperly fitted chairs, and have suffered permanent damage because of it).
Mobility scooters are great for going outside alone if you don't have the arm strength for a manual chair, as they can handle terrain that an motorised wheelchair often can't, but are harder to maneuver in small spaces (especially bulky class 3 scooters, which aren't designed for indoor use at all) and usually aren't suitable for full time use. If you need more support they most likely won't be suitable either, the seats are usually not designed with support for people who cannot hold themselves upright and generally do not have a seatbelt by default. I'm working on a proper guide for this and will hopefully post it soon!
There's also deconditioning to keep in mind, which is very important to think about if you aren't doing physiotherapy. You also need to consider things like pressure sores, which you will be especially prone to in seated mobility aids if you aren't able to reposition yourself regularly or have loss of sensation in or awareness of any part of your body.
Do your research! Don't just default to a cane!
Also make sure your cane (if that's the best mobility aids for you/your needs) is the correct height! I had mine too tall, and it caused severe shoulder pain. My physiotherapist noticed that the shoulder pain was on the side I used my cane, and checked the height of the cane. The cane should be as high as your wrist when your arm is hanging beside you.
Here's a link about choosing a cane style and fitting it to yourself:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/healthy-aging/in-depth/canes/art-20548206
It’s a slightly different flavor of mobility aid but I haven’t seen White canes brought up here yet and this absolutely applies to them too. White canes are not all created equal and there is so much more to consider than what the websites tell you.
A white cane that is too short can slow you down and get you hurt. If your cane isn’t long enough, you don’t have enough time to react between when your cane finds something like the top of a step or curb and you falling off of it. You will see sources that tell you it needs to come up to your sternum or armpit, but this is very old outdated advice. Aim for something at least chin or nose height, and many people use something taller than that to enable faster walking speeds and greater reaction times.
The first results that come up when you Google White canes are probably also going to be very shitty very heavy canes. A heavy white cane can really fuck up your wrist and hand and cause a lot of repetitive stress injuries. I mean it, please don’t just buy the first white cane that comes up on Amazon, you will injure yourself using one of those things long-term. Prioritize something lightweight, ergonomic, and very responsive to tactile feedback. Your hands and wrists will thank you.
Many people gravitate toward the shitty canes because they are usually cheap, but they are cheap for a reason. If you need something cheap, check out the free white cane Program instead.
