Cane - Blog Posts

A general cane guide for writers and artists (from a cane user, writer, and artist!)

Disclaimer: Though I have been using a cane for 6 years, I am not a doctor, nor am I by any means an expert. This guide is true to my experience, but there are as many ways to use a cane as there are cane users!

This guide will not include: White canes for blindness, crutches, walkers, or wheelchairs as I have no personal experience with these.

This is meant to be a general guide to get you started and avoid some common mishaps/misconceptions, but you absolutely should continue to do your own research outside of this guide!

The biggest recurring problem I've seen is using the cane on the wrong side. The cane goes on the opposite side of the pain! If your character has even-sided pain or needs it for balance/weakness, then use the cane in the non-dominant hand to keep the dominant hand free. Some cane users also switch sides to give their arm a rest!

A cane takes about 20% of your weight off the opposite leg. It should fit within your natural gait and become something of an extension of your body. If you need more weight off than 20%, then crutches, a walker, or a wheelchair is needed.

Putting more pressure on the cane, using it on the wrong side, or having it at the wrong height will make it less effective, and can cause long term damage to your body from improper pressure and posture. (Hugh Laurie genuinely hurt his body from years of using a cane wrong on House!)

(an animated GIF of a cane matching the natural walking gait. It turns red when pressure is placed on it.)

When going up and down stairs, there is an ideal standard: You want to use the handrail and the cane at the same time, or prioritize the handrail if it's only on one side. When going up stairs you lead with your good leg and follow with the cane and hurt leg together. When going down stairs you lead with the cane, then the good leg, and THEN the leg that needs help.

Realistically though, many people don't move out of the way for cane users to access the railing, many stairs don't have railings, and many are wet, rusty, or generally not ideal to grip.

In these cases, if you have a friend nearby, holding on to them is a good idea. Or, take it one step at a time carefully if you're alone.

Now we come to a very common mistake I see... Using fashion canes for medical use!

(These are 4 broad shapes, but there is INCREDIBLE variation in cane handles. Research heavily what will be best for your character's specific needs!)

The handle is the contact point for all the weight you're putting on your cane, and that pressure is being put onto your hand, wrist, and shoulder. So the shape is very important for long term use!

Knob handles (and very decorative handles) are not used for medical use for this reason. It adds extra stress to the body and can damage your hand to put constant pressure onto these painful shapes.

The weight of a cane is also incredibly important, as a heavier cane will cause wear on your body much faster. When you're using it all day, it gets heavy fast! If your character struggles with weakness, then they won't want a heavy cane if they can help it!

This is also part of why sword canes aren't usually very viable for medical use (along with them usually being knob handles) is that swords are extra weight!

However, a small knife or perhaps a retractable blade hidden within the base might be viable even for weak characters.

Bases have a lot of variability as well, and the modern standard is generally adjustable bases. Adjustable canes are very handy if your character regularly changes shoe height, for instance (gotta keep the height at your hip!)

Canes help on most terrain with their standard base and structure. But for some terrain, you might want a different base, or to forego the cane entirely! This article covers it pretty well.

Many cane users decorate their canes! Stickers are incredibly common, and painting canes is relatively common as well! You'll also see people replacing the standard wrist strap with a personalized one, or even adding a small charm to the ring the strap connects to. (nothing too large, or it gets annoying as the cane is swinging around everywhere)

(my canes, for reference)

If your character uses a cane full time, then they might also have multiple canes that look different aesthetically to match their outfits!

When it comes to practical things outside of the cane, you reasonably only have one hand available while it's being used. Many people will hook their cane onto their arm or let it dangle on the strap (if they have one) while using their cane arm, but it's often significantly less convenient than 2 hands. But, if you need 2 hands, then it's either setting the cane down or letting it hang!

For this reason, optimizing one handed use is ideal! Keeping bags/items on the side of your free hand helps keep your items accessible.

When sitting, the cane either leans against a wall or table, goes under the chair, or hooks onto the back of the chair. (It often falls when hanging off of a chair, in my experience)

When getting up, the user will either use their cane to help them balance/support as they stand, or get up and then grab their cane. This depends on what it's being used for (balance vs pain when walking, for instance!)

That's everything I can think of for now. Thank you for reading my long-but-absolutely-not-comprehensive list of things to keep in mind when writing or drawing a cane user!

Happy disability pride month! Go forth and make more characters use canes!!!

One of my ocs (fav), he's around 20 at this picture. Rus version ↓ (also click for better quality)

Phoenix Living Room Image of a medium-sized transitional living room with a bar

Miami Bedroom

...and there is the umbrella tree!

do take notice of the cane-grass and rubberduck-flowers ~(@u@)~

Feeding a Scary Wiener-Dog and testing filters in Adobe After Effects

I am a beginner in Adobe After Affects but at least I have begun scratching the surface. Trying to get bad footage to look good in order to later make good f...

Take a loong good look. If you have the time. Feel free to flip through. I made all of these.^^

HEADCANON

When Carlos and Jane first started dating Lonnie slipped out that Jane actually knows the flower language. Carlos trying to be thoughtful, learned it overnight (mostly) and made a bouquet. Only there was a flower that only grows with magic so he went to mal and maimed her til she had to grow the flower.

When Carlos gave the bouquet to Jane at first she was confused but then Carlos explained to her. There was a moment of silence followed by the warmest hug Carlos had ever got in his life

I'm Home JANELOS ONE-SHOT

~can you play with my hair~

It was a regular weekend in Auradon prep. Carlos and Jane were having a movie in Carlos' room. Jay and Lonnie was on some kind of work out date or something. Honestly no one could tell what was exactly going on between these two.

It was a very tiring week, really. The exams were following each other almost without a second to breathe, tourney and cheer practices were a lot more and a lot tiring as they just started the new tourney season. They even play their first match (which they obviously won). So this weekend was kind of an escape for both of them. They were in the middle of the movie when Carlos got up to use the bathroom. When he came back, instead of his previous place which he had and arm around his girlfriend while she was leaning on his chest, he claimed on the bed and lay on the girls lap. Jane knew how much her boyfriend like to cuddle but sometimes she thinks he just becomes a literal puppy. Which she adores a lot. Automatically, she put one hand on the boys arm.

After like five minutes or so, Carlos felt that something was missing. After ten seconds of thinking and realization, he looked up without lifting his head to Jane who was still focused on the movie.

Can you play with my hair?

She looked back at him and smiled.

Of course.

After a lot of tiredness, both mentally and physically, Carlos felt actually safe. He felt so safe that even made him forgot about his abusive mother, the painfull memories, or the stress of both past and future. He was finally home. And the only thing that this comfort pushed him to was the best sleep he has ever gotten in his entire life.

He was home.

ı ship one side with shitty past and the other one is the good girl/boy

for example

LOGYN: MCU / NORSE MYTHOLOGY

Loki has the problematic past and Sigyn is the good girl who is always there for him

PERALTIAGO: BROOKLYN 9-9

I mean Jake has father issues. And Amy is the good girl who always be there for Jake.

JANELOS: DESCENDANTS

So we don’t have to talk about how bad the isle was, especially for carlos with Cruella so... and jane is the good auradn girl. They are my underatted babies

IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER SHIP LIKE THEM IN MIND, I’D LIKE TO HEAR

Jarlos short one-shot

Carlos looked at Jane's ocean blue eyes.

Now Carlos wasnt a guy who gets angry that easily (unlike Jay) but when he is angry or stressed, or uncomfortable, he just takes a look at Jane's eyes. She always calm him down what the situation is.

You okay? She asked with a soft voice.

They were together. Engaged to be more specific. And after graduation, they moved to a house together. It was a cute little two-floored house near the Auradon Prep so Jane wouldn't be so far from her mother. And now, it was three in the morning and they both awake. It was Carlos' nightmare though. He woke up, Jane woke up. And they were jus sitting up on the bed.

Yeah, just a nightmare. Sorry to wake you up. Carlos said.

He doesn't want to admit but he still saw some nightmares about her mother. She used to use him as a personal slave. Carlos wasn't more than a buttler to her. And she was punishing him. By that small and Clostrophobic closet. Carlos was staying there for days with no food and surrounded by bear traps. I am not even mentioning the physical and mental abuse. So Carlos had nightmares although it wasn't as much as it used to be. But sometimes it goes worse. Sometimes he see her mom with Jane instead of himself.

You sure you are okay? You don't look good.

He looked straight at her eyes and smiled.

I will be. Now it's so early. Let's just sleep.

I told my mom “I wish there was a thing that could help me when I’m feeling dizzy so that I don’t have to lay down” and she agreed.

I was talking about a cane but when I specifically said “I want a cane” she said I didn’t need it.

Choose. Do I need an aid to help with my dizziness or am I not disabled enough for a cane?

(I’m getting a cane in the future either way)