More on pacing - use the cane!

It turns out I still have more to say about pacing. Specifically, I’d like to talk about using aids for mobility - canes, crutches, wheelchairs, scooters, and any other device that makes it easier to move from one place to another. They aren’t for everyone, but if they're something you’ve used or considered, read on.

Using the right device for you can help you go more places than you could go without it.

What kind of mobility aid to use?

When walking is painful or exhausting, mobility aids can be super useful. Canes are great for balance or a bit of extra support. Forearm crutches give even more stability. Rollators can make rests possible while out and about. Electric wheelchairs or scooters can be life-changing. I won’t tell you which is right for you, but a physical therapist or other supportive healthcare provider can help with selecting something. 

The right device is one that helps you live your life fully. Participating in life outside our homes means having the energy to get somewhere, do all the things we want to do while we’re there, and get home again without wiping ourselves out completely. If just walking takes all the available energy, there isn’t enough left to actually do what needs doing.

We need our energy to do our jobs, pay attention at school, socialize with friends, and enjoy life - we don’t want to just move our body from one place to another at the expense of more important things.

Ableism and mobility aids

We all know that using mobility aids is heavily stigmatized. There are a ton of misconceptions and myths that really need to be debunked. I particularly hate the one about being “wheelchair bound” - a wheelchair can actually mean freedom instead of being stuck at home. There’s also a belief floating around that a mobility aid is either always used or never used, when that’s absolutely not the case. 

Some people wonder if using a mobility device will get them “stuck” using it forever - that they’ll forget how to walk without one once they start. I promise, that’s not how it works. We don’t forget how to walk - but we may become unwilling to spend time in pain once we realize it’s not necessary.

Some folks also say that if they use a mobility device, they’ll get weaker. Admittedly, we all lose strength when we don’t exercise, and for some of us walking is the only exercise we get. However, there’s a big difference between walking for exercise and walking to get where we want to go. We can include exercise and strength training in our energy budget however it’s healthiest for us, and we can also use the equipment that will get us through the day as gently as possible.

Like any other pacing strategy, there’s a huge emotional component to the decision of whether to use or not use a mobility aid. Dealing with the stigma of them from the outside world can be hard. Dealing with our own internalized ableism can be even harder.

Use what helps

I do encourage you, however, to treat using your cane, crutch, walker, rollator, wheelchair, scooter, hiking pole, or any other mobility device as an assist. Use it when it helps. If it will keep your pain from flaring, use it. If it might keep you from exhausting yourself for tomorrow, bring it. If it will keep you safe, keep it with you. 

There are things that only you can do. Don’t let stigma about mobility aids keep you from doing them.

Go out and do stuff! Use a mobility aid if it helps.

Want to talk about this with me? Schedule a somatic therapy session or free curiosity call.