A General Cane Guide For Writers And Artists (from A Cane User, Writer, And Artist!)

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!

[Image text] Arm bends a little. Cane height at hip joint. Many canes have adjustable height. Cane sits within the natural center of balance. Causes stress on: Triceps, upper back, wrist (pressure) fingers (grip). Helps with: Joints (lower back, hip, knee, ankle, foot), weakness, balance, pain.

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!)

A General Cane Guide For Writers And Artists (from A Cane User, Writer, And Artist!)

(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!

[Image text] 4 Major Handle Shapes (significant variation and uses). Tourist/Crook/Hook. Classic shape, fashion and medical, easy to hook on things (arm, door, chair, etc), generally solid wood (stronger, heavier). Offset. Newer design, not a fashion handle, only handle for quad-bases, generally better balance, usually aluminum (light + cheap), soft handle, adjustable (rattles/clicks when swinging). Derby/Fritz/Anatomical/Contour. Classic medical shape, many fashion variants, some fashion + medical, varies in many ways, sometimes contoured to hand, comes in foldable styles, many aluminum styles, many customizable styles. Knob/Decorative. Fashion exclusive, knob shape hurts the hand after prolonged pressure (especially with designs), tend to be heavy, "sword canes" have the same issues.

(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.

[Image text] 4 Major base shapes (significant variation and uses). Adjustable base. Aluminum, standard modern medical, adjustable height, rubber base, wears down over time. Tripod/ quad base. If you need extra balance. Terrain attachment (varies, this is for ice). Removable, helps stop slipping on ice/snow/sand/etc, some canes have a retractable tip for ice. Classic base. Non-adjustable, custom only, modern standard still has a rubber base.

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)

Two canes side by side. The one on the left is painted a light pink, and the one on the right is painted black with a fire/lava pattern.

(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.

A General Cane Guide For Writers And Artists (from A Cane User, Writer, And Artist!)

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!!!

More Posts from Oddzo and Others

1 month ago
Juni Ba Jason Todd. Jason Todd, Please Give Me One Chance. I'll Hand You Everything And Anything You

Juni Ba Jason Todd. Jason Todd, please give me one chance. I'll hand you everything and anything you want 🙏

I know people tend to give short-haired Jason Todd designs some grief, but I think the look is growing on me. I like to think that this Jason is a little bit of a zombie- he's a little paler than before, his injuries scar easier than they heal (no matter how small), and he still has his pre-death injuries. He's unrecognisable otherwise. The pit tried. It brought back his mind and that's good enough 💔

Juni Ba Jason Todd. Jason Todd, Please Give Me One Chance. I'll Hand You Everything And Anything You
Juni Ba Jason Todd. Jason Todd, Please Give Me One Chance. I'll Hand You Everything And Anything You

The angst potential though?

Red Hood takes off the helmet in his big dramatic reveal, and Batman, who was expecting to see Jason Todd (albeit an older version he imagined up in his mind), doesn't recognise his face at all. Bruce, for a moment, is shocked that he might have gotten it all wrong. That the Red Hood isn't Jason Todd. (Nevermind the conflicting swirl of emotions that arise from that!)

When Bruce really looks, he finally sees it in the scars. There's newer ones, of course, but they're overlaid atop old, recognisable scars. Scars that Bruce once thought was etched into the back of his lids because at that time, he swore he had stared at the pictures in Jason's autopsy report for longer than he ever had Jason in his life (if only to torture himself over his self-perceived failures)

And realises, oh God, that is Jason.

Juni Ba Jason Todd. Jason Todd, Please Give Me One Chance. I'll Hand You Everything And Anything You
Juni Ba Jason Todd. Jason Todd, Please Give Me One Chance. I'll Hand You Everything And Anything You

also, the all caste blades' original marking covered the autopsy scar i wanted on Jason 💔 so even though the original design is so sick, I drew it on his arms instead. It's a bit scuffed and unfinalised 😭 Wack ramblings in all my posts I'm sorry


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9 months ago

Idk, it took quite a long time for me to make it so it’d be quite expensive. I guess it depends on how much you’d be willing to pay lol

Putting this here in TikTok form to see if it does any better but here’s me making one of the “Tri Angels” from the Book of Bill!

Putting This Here In TikTok Form To See If It Does Any Better But Here’s Me Making One Of The “Tri

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9 months ago

Twink death but make it literal

Monster Falls au my beloved

Twink Death But Make It Literal

I don’t have a human Bill design so I used that old popular twink design lmao

Below is the photo that started this entire drawing- I had the thought “what if that but monster falls and t-posing?” Then “what if I put Bill in the family guy death pose too?” And now we have this. I love my brain sometimes :]

Twink Death But Make It Literal

I’m currently on a trip so no more sculptures for a hot second, sorry bout that :’)


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8 months ago
Look For Anything (or Anyone) That Could Be Familiar
Look For Anything (or Anyone) That Could Be Familiar
Look For Anything (or Anyone) That Could Be Familiar
Look For Anything (or Anyone) That Could Be Familiar
Look For Anything (or Anyone) That Could Be Familiar
Look For Anything (or Anyone) That Could Be Familiar
Look For Anything (or Anyone) That Could Be Familiar
Look For Anything (or Anyone) That Could Be Familiar

Look for anything (or anyone) that could be familiar

For part two:

❤️ 300 likes

🔁 70 reblogs

Reblog with the hashtag:

🔼 for Ingo to find Emmet

🔽 for Emmet to find Ingo


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9 months ago

Hello 🖐

I am aya living in North Gaza with my three children, and we are facing starvation in the northern region. We have moved more than 13 times trying to find a safe place, but there is no safety anywhere.

I am asking for your help to protect my children and get us out of this imminent danger😥.

Your donations and sharing of my story will greatly contribute to our survival.🙏🙏

https://gofund.me/7dc97966

I hope I am able to get some traction for you, I wish you well


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1 year ago

I made a new pfp!

I Made A New Pfp!

It was a fun challenge to fit everything in the circle and I’m quite proud of how it came out!


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4 months ago
Via NYPost: Immigration And Customs Enforcement Is Preparing To Launch A “big F–king Operation”
Via NYPost: Immigration And Customs Enforcement Is Preparing To Launch A “big F–king Operation”
Via NYPost: Immigration And Customs Enforcement Is Preparing To Launch A “big F–king Operation”
Via NYPost: Immigration And Customs Enforcement Is Preparing To Launch A “big F–king Operation”
Via NYPost: Immigration And Customs Enforcement Is Preparing To Launch A “big F–king Operation”

via NYPost: Immigration and Customs Enforcement is preparing to launch a “big f–king operation” across sanctuary cities — including Chicago and New York — immediately after President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, multiple sources told The Post.

Starting Jan. 21, multi-day “ground operations” will be launched across cities that have served as safe havens for migrants because the local authorities do not cooperate with the federal government when it comes to immigration issues, sources said.

1 year ago
From Roosterteeth’s IG! We Got Some Insight On Some Of The Characters For This Season!
From Roosterteeth’s IG! We Got Some Insight On Some Of The Characters For This Season!
From Roosterteeth’s IG! We Got Some Insight On Some Of The Characters For This Season!
From Roosterteeth’s IG! We Got Some Insight On Some Of The Characters For This Season!

From Roosterteeth’s IG! We got some insight on some of the characters for this season!

From Roosterteeth’s IG! We Got Some Insight On Some Of The Characters For This Season!

ALSO WHAT DO THEY MEAN BY THIS. IM GONNA DIEEE


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1 year ago
Spider Anatomy Killed Me So Never Going To Finish It Xd
Spider Anatomy Killed Me So Never Going To Finish It Xd
Spider Anatomy Killed Me So Never Going To Finish It Xd

Spider anatomy killed me so never going to finish it xd

Spider Anatomy Killed Me So Never Going To Finish It Xd
Spider Anatomy Killed Me So Never Going To Finish It Xd

Spider Anatomy Killed Me So Never Going To Finish It Xd

Lil chibs I got to paste on my DSi >w< (sorry Mario but my hyperfixation won)

Spider Anatomy Killed Me So Never Going To Finish It Xd
Spider Anatomy Killed Me So Never Going To Finish It Xd
Spider Anatomy Killed Me So Never Going To Finish It Xd

And the best thing I've got to do from them O(≧∇≦)O


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9 months ago

This might be a dumb question, but would you be able to explain a bit more how the bug fairy mouth opens/closes? I want to draw some art, but I don't want it to be completely inaccurate

This Might Be A Dumb Question, But Would You Be Able To Explain A Bit More How The Bug Fairy Mouth Opens/closes?

Um uhhh like this


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oddzo - Oddzo_
Oddzo_

They/themAroace, ADHD, Autistic✨AAA battery✨Current fixations are Camp Camp and Gravity Falls 👍

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