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!
blakekathryn
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