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WALKING STICK
- "Walking stick" may also refer to a stick insect, of the Order Phasmatodea, which uses camouflage to resemble a stick or twig.
A walking stick is a tool used by many people to assist walking. Walking sticks come in many shapes and sizes, even leading some people to collect them.
1) Hemiplegic and balance-impaired persons use the stick to give them a better sense of the vertical position. Without the stick, it is easy to walk at an angle, and perhaps not move in a straight line. The stick is held in the stronger hand.
2) Muscle-weakened persons (with reduced strength or nerve action) need a stronger weight-bearing stick to take some of the load normally used by the weaker leg. The stick is held on the side of the weakened leg.
Walking sticks are used for hikers for a wide variety of purposes: to clear spiderwebs that have been built across the trail, to part thick bushes or grass obscuring the trail, as a support when going uphill or a brake when going downhill, as a balance point when crossing streams, swamps or other rough terrain, to feel for obstacles in the path, to test mud and puddles for depth, and as a defense against wild animals.
Also serving this purpose are walkers, which are held in front of the user and allow the user to lean heavily on them.
Accessories
The most common accesory, before or after purchase or manufacture, is a hand strap, to prevent loss of the stick when the hand releases its grip. The most common factory-made accessory is a "table-stand" to stand it against the top of a table.
Other stick modifications include replacing worn-out parts: handles and ground-contact tips (ferrules). Often, the handles of the sticks are too small for large hands, so after-market customizations are needed.
See also
External links
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