Walking Stick: Takes the Weight Off a Painful Leg So You Can Walk Further
This adjustable walking stick takes a share of the weight off a painful or weak leg and gives you a third point of contact with the ground, so you can walk further, stand longer and get down a kerb without your knee or hip giving way. It is the aid people buy for arthritis, for a hip or knee that has started to complain on the stairs, and for the first weeks back on their feet after an operation.
The stick is an aluminium tube that adjusts through a range of heights with a push-pin, finished with a moulded handle and a non-slip rubber tip. It weighs very little, and the height is set to you rather than to the shop. Our pharmacist measures you at the counter, sets it, and sends you down the shop and back on it before you buy.
Setting the Height, Which Is the Whole Purchase
A stick at the wrong height does the opposite of what you bought it for, and almost every stick in use is too long.
Stand up straight in the shoes you normally wear, on a level floor, arms hanging loose by your sides. The top of the handle should come level with the crease of your wrist. With your hand on it, your elbow then sits at a gentle 15 to 30 degree bend, which is what lets your arm take weight.
Too long and you push your shoulder up towards your ear with every step and work harder to swing the stick through. Too short and you lean out over it, which puts you off balance in the direction you least want to go. If you use the stick mainly for confidence rather than for a sore leg, a slightly greater bend at the elbow often feels better.
Push the pin right through its hole until it clicks, and check that it is still clicked home every few weeks.
Which Hand, and How to Walk With It
Hold the stick in the hand on the opposite side to the sore leg. Most people get this the wrong way round. A stick on the far side lets your arm carry weight across the body and away from the painful hip or knee. A stick on the same side simply travels along beside the problem.
Move the stick forward at the same time as the sore leg, so the two land together and share the step. Then step through with your good leg while the stick stays where it is. Short, even steps, looking ahead rather than down.
Stairs: up with the good leg, down with the bad. Going up, hold the handrail, step up with the stronger leg first, then bring the weaker leg and the stick up to join it. Going down, the weaker leg and the stick go down to the step below together, then the stronger leg follows. Stairs are where most falls with a stick happen, so take the rail every time.
A Stick, or a Frame?
A stick is for a leg. One hand, one extra point of contact. It is right when your balance is sound and a particular hip, knee, ankle or back is what stops you walking further.
A walking frame is for balance. Two hands, four points on the floor, a base you stand inside. It is right when standing still feels unsteady, after a fall, when both legs are weak, or when you have been told to keep weight off one leg entirely.
If you are leaning hard enough on the stick that your wrist aches, or if you have had a fall, please talk to our pharmacist before buying another stick. Sometimes the answer is a frame for a while and a stick afterwards, and sometimes it is two sticks rather than one.
Looking After It, and the Floor It Walks On
The rubber tip is the part that fails. Look at it monthly: once the tread has worn smooth or the rim has split, it is time to replace it, and a new tip costs a fraction of a new stick. A smooth tip on a polished floor or wet tiles is one of the commonest ways somebody falls with a stick in their hand.
Check the push-pin clicks fully home, the adjustment holes are still round rather than stretched into ovals, the tube has no crack or bend, and the handle is firm on the shaft. Most walking aids are good for around two years of daily use.
And the house deserves the same attention as the stick. Lift loose rugs, clear trailing cables, deal with the lip at a doorway, and put a light where the corridor is dark. Flat supportive shoes with a grip, indoors as well as out, and not slippers that hang off the heel. Keep the stick where you can reach it from the bed and from your chair, since the walk nobody plans for is the one at night. If the stairs or the bathroom are the real difficulty, ask our pharmacist about a bathing stool, and if walking any distance has become hard, about a manual wheelchair for the longer trips.
Is a Walking Stick Right for You?
A stick suits most people whose balance is sound and whose trouble is one leg. Please speak to our pharmacist or our doctor before ordering if any of these apply:
- You have fallen in the last year, or you feel unsteady standing still. Please see our doctor. Falls have causes worth finding: blood pressure, eyesight, the ears and ordinary medicines taken together, and a stick alone leaves all of those where they are.
- You lean on it hard enough that your wrist, elbow or shoulder aches. That is a sign the leg needs more support than one stick gives, so talk to us about a frame or a second stick.
- The pain is new, severe, or worse at night. See our doctor rather than buying a stick for it. Pain that wakes you is a symptom in its own right.
- You weigh more than a standard stick is rated for. Tell us roughly what you weigh and we will match the stick, because past its limit a stick begins to flex.
- This is for somebody with poor sight, or for somebody who is confused. Ring us first, because both change which aid is the safe one.
Our pharmacists will measure you, set the stick, show you which hand it belongs in and watch you walk, and our doctor is here if the leg or the balance is what needs looking at.
Where to Buy a Walking Stick in Kenya
Order online and we deliver countrywide, or collect from our pharmacy at Kahawa Sukari Shopping Center, Nairobi. We send orders to Nairobi and every neighbourhood around it — the CBD, Westlands, Parklands, Gigiri, Muthaiga, Runda, Rosslyn, Kitisuru, Lower Kabete, Lavington, Kileleshwa, Kilimani, Karen, Langata, South B, South C, Eastleigh, Buruburu, Donholm, Embakasi, Ngong Road, Kasarani, Roysambu, Zimmerman, Githurai, Ruaka, Banana Hill, Two Rivers, Village Market and Pride Lands — and across Kiambu, Thika, Juja, Ruiru, Kikuyu, Limuru and Ngong.
Beyond the capital we deliver to Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret, Nyeri, Machakos, Athi River, Kitengela, Kajiado, Naivasha, Narok, Kericho, Bomet, Kisii, Migori, Homa Bay, Siaya, Bungoma, Busia, Kakamega, Vihiga, Webuye, Kitale, Nandi Hills, Iten, Kapenguria, Embu, Meru, Chuka, Kerugoya, Murang’a, Othaya, Nyahururu, Nanyuki, Maralal, Isiolo, Marsabit, Moyale, Wajir, Mandera, Garissa, Lodwar, Kitui, Mwingi, Makueni, Emali, Kibwezi, Voi, Taveta, Wundanyi, Mariakani, Diani, Ukunda, Kilifi, Watamu, Malindi, Lamu and Hola. Send us your height with the order and we will set the stick before the parcel leaves us.
Across Africa, ask us before you order. We have sent orders to Uganda, Tanzania, Somaliland and as far as Malawi, and we will quote for Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and the rest of the continent. Tell us the destination and we will confirm any import paperwork before the parcel leaves us.
Living abroad? Order from wherever you are and we deliver here in Kenya. Kenyans in the UK, the United States, Canada, South Africa and the Gulf order from us regularly for a parent or relative at home, and this is one of the things they order most. Tell us the address and we will deliver and set it up.
Why Buy Your a Walking Stick from HealthAlone Kenya?
HealthAlone is a pharmacist-led health ecosystem licensed by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board, and our stock is original, sealed and correctly stored. Kahawa Sukari is a real counter with real pharmacists behind it.
A stick set to the wrong height makes walking harder rather than easier, and most of the sticks we see across the counter are too long. Our pharmacists measure you, set it, show you which hand it belongs in and watch you walk before you buy.
It is one more step in our vision: building Africa’s most trusted health ecosystem, accessible to everyone, everywhere.
FAQs
Which hand should I hold my walking stick in?
The hand on the opposite side to the sore leg. That lets your arm carry weight across the body and away from the painful hip or knee, which is the whole point of the stick. Held on the same side it simply travels along beside the problem. Most people get this the wrong way round, and correcting it changes how far somebody can walk.
How high should a walking stick be?
Stand up straight in your usual shoes on a level floor with your arms hanging loose. The top of the handle should come level with the crease of your wrist, which puts your elbow at a gentle 15 to 30 degree bend when you hold it. Too long and your shoulder rides up with every step; too short and you lean out over it. Our pharmacist sets it at the counter.
How do I walk with it?
Move the stick forward at the same time as the sore leg so the two land together and share the step, then step through with your good leg while the stick stays where it is. Short, even steps, looking ahead rather than down at your feet.
How do I use a walking stick on stairs?
Up with the good leg, down with the bad. Going up, hold the handrail, step up with the stronger leg first, then bring the weaker leg and the stick up to join it. Going down, the weaker leg and the stick go to the lower step together, then the stronger leg follows. Stairs are where most falls with a stick happen, so take the rail every time.
Should I buy a stick or a walking frame?
A stick is for a leg and a frame is for balance. Buy a stick when your balance is sound and one hip, knee, ankle or back is what stops you walking further. Buy a frame when standing still feels unsteady, after a fall, when both legs are weak, or when you have been told to keep weight off one leg. Tell our pharmacist what happened and we will advise.
Is this stick adjustable?
Yes, the aluminium shaft adjusts through a range of heights on a push-pin, so it can be reset if your shoes change or it passes to somebody else. Make sure the pin clicks right through its hole, and check it again every few weeks.
What is a quad stick and do I need one?
A quad stick stands on a four-footed base instead of a single tip, which makes it steadier and heavier, and it stands up on its own when you let go. It suits somebody who needs more support than a single-point stick gives but is not ready for a frame. Ask our pharmacist, because the wider base also catches on stairs and in narrow doorways.
Can I use two walking sticks?
Some people do, and it spreads the load across both arms and gives four points of contact over a stride. It also occupies both hands and takes practice to time. Our pharmacist will tell you whether two sticks or a frame is the better answer for how you are walking now.
How often should the rubber tip be replaced?
Look at it monthly and replace it once the tread has worn smooth or the rim has split. A smooth tip on a polished floor or wet tiles is one of the commonest ways somebody falls with a stick in their hand, and a new tip costs a fraction of a new stick. We keep them, so bring the stick in.
How long does a walking stick last?
Most walking aids are good for around two years of daily use. Retire one sooner if the tube has a crack or a bend, if the adjustment holes have stretched from round into ovals, or if the handle has worked loose on the shaft.
Will using a stick make my leg weaker?
Walking more is what keeps a leg strong, and a stick is usually what makes walking more possible, so for most people it works the other way round. If you are relying on it so heavily that your wrist aches, tell our pharmacist, because that points to needing more support rather than less.
Where can I buy a walking stick in Kenya?
Order from HealthAlone online and we deliver countrywide, or collect from our pharmacy at Kahawa Sukari Shopping Center, Nairobi. We deliver across Nairobi — the CBD, Westlands, Parklands, Lavington, Kileleshwa, Kilimani, Karen, Langata, South B, South C, Eastleigh, Buruburu, Donholm, Embakasi, Kasarani, Roysambu, Zimmerman, Githurai and Ruaka — and across Kiambu, Thika, Juja, Ruiru, Kikuyu, Limuru and Ngong, as well as Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret, Nyeri, Machakos, Kitengela, Naivasha, Narok, Kericho, Kisii, Bungoma, Kakamega, Kitale, Embu, Meru, Chuka, Murang’a, Nyahururu, Nanyuki, Isiolo, Garissa, Lodwar, Kitui, Voi, Kilifi, Malindi and Diani. Send us your height with the order and we will set the stick before it leaves us.
