When choosing a cane, the first thing you need to decide is whether you want a standard cane or a quad cane. Standard canes, also called single-tip canes, have only one tip. Quad canes have four. Which one will work better depends entirely on what you need it for and how you’ll use it.
James from Florida wrote in saying, “I’m trying to stay active, but I can’t get around without a walking aid anymore. What would you recommend? I need one that’s good for outdoors. Will I need a different one for indoor use?”
Every so often, something makes you stop and think, “Wow. I’m living in the future.” It may be a news article or a new study, something far out there and irrelevant to your daily life. Or, like in this case, it may be something that has just recently been made available to the general market. Prepare to be blown away, because today we are talking about carbon fiber, and what it can do for you.
While they often seem to be interchangeable words, walking sticks and walking canes are actually two very different types of product with different uses. Many people get them mixed up, but if you read on, you will be one of the elite few who know the difference between walking sticks and canes.
Has this ever happened to you? You’re walking to the theater with your cane only to discover that the line for tickets is incredibly long- and the guy at the front is having a long, drawn-out argument with the ticket seller. The walk just to get there was bad enough, and now you have to stand in line for how long? You sigh, looking wistfully at your cane, and wish you’d brought a chair instead.
The Sphinx’s riddle asks, “What goes on four legs in the morning, two at noon, and three in the evening?”
Give up? The answer is: a human being, who crawls on four limbs as a baby in the morning of their life, walks upright on two legs in the middle of the day, and uses a cane in the twilight of their years.
