hiy al Im interested how many of you with a hemiplegi leg do mansgeto walk ? im hetting beter at it. I dlike to sharehis letter / article " sticking point " which i write forthe magazine of physiotherapoats it shows how I got physical and psychologica benefit from ditching my walking stick and swpping it for a nordic walking pole. Do man y folk mansge or preferwalkibg with a stick ? or is your preference for a pole ? I hope that this is interesteing ? I'd like to do some detailed research as to what in real life most stroke survivivors who like me are semi ambulatory https://www.csp.org.uk/frontline/article/letters-4-june-2014
Thanks
cheers,
John
Hi John
Similarly hemiplegia. I read your article with interest. I haven't ever used a nordic pole, but I can appreciate the psychological benefits of the perception by others. I use a single pont stick, a rather medical looking metal one with an ergonomic handle. I also have a sort of "Sunday best" wooden one which isn't quite so good for balance but looks better! I was a keen long distance walker prior to stroke over 5 years ago now but walking never fully recovered, so I am forced to use a wheelchair for any distance. I still try and walk as much as I can and hold out hope it will improve. But I have occasionally been the object of pity you allude to, looking ancient and crippled, though only in early 60s so hardly ancient.i was once helped over the road by an older woman! That was weird. With poles, do they work for hemiplegia? I thought they came in pairs, I could only hold one as my left arm is not functioning.
Bw
Tony
Hi Tony thanks we do sound similar.. for abou the1st 5 years / post - stroke couldn't even move round the housewithout my ' Chapline walking stick. or touching walls furniture for proprioception but t overtime [ maybe 9 yers by perserverence I nand pursuasin of my then-partner I replaced the stick with a pole. Initially ( erly days my physio had suggested a broom handle would be better than the chaplin stick but in some odd inward sense of ego and self -ID devaluation I felt that would be humiliating and degrading so I kept witth the trad stick. Years later having a clear out mr partnr and i dicovered an old ski-pole wihout its snow basket and we rammed ( to stiop slips * floordamage , a rubber dog ball [ size of a ping pong or squash ball onto the tungsten tip and I use that for town-walking or inside and an original sharp tipped pole for outdoor walks on paths grass etc. Yes you are right I can only use one just as I can only use one 'Chaplin' stick so it was handlythat i had the polesa round already as buying 2 for one [I dont know ifthey can be bought singly just googling most are in pairs but this I found asa single [ https://www.amazon.co.uk/Alcheringa-Trekking-Hiking-Walking-Stick/dp/B07C1Q11JQ/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=individual+walking+pole&qid=1630077377&s=sports&sr=1-3 ] obviously I canot endotse the deal retailerertc as i dont know it. With a pole in my working hand my posture & stability are definitely better than using a walking stick Idf you try it id love to hear how you get on - may be shoulddo a survey to progress this idea and spreadtheword ? I loved in francewitr bvery badrwnch [ hard to lern new languwge with a brain injury and once an eldrly woman tried to help mecrosthe e road and iwastrugglingpolitely to saythat I didnt want to cross at all !! ;-) hope you begin improving this year Ive realy had a good go at pushing my range and can now once a fortnight mansge maybe 2.5 miles on a smooth parth round our local leisure and wildlife reserve lakethoug Im strating a campaign for more benches!!
As they say in france
bonne chance,
bon courage,
Bw, John
John
I use a combination. One walking stick and one nordic walking pole......works for me, as where I live is incredibly hilly! I did my first unaided walk along a flat part of our road yesterday, but needed my stick at the end of the road, which meets a hill!
Fiona
Just read your article... you are so right about the psychological benefits. The nordic poles certainly give me a boost. I enjoyed fell walking before my subarachnoid haemorrhage. I have made excellent progress so far and dream of being able to get on the hills again. Determination keeps me going.
Fiona
congrats Fiona that's fab - My paralysis is hermiplegic so my left arm is 'dead' and only my right arm can hold a walking aid etc in thewelsh vakeys ta where I am now it to is very steepin places - I prefer going uphil to going down. But then I always did pre-stroke as a montaineer and runner anyhow :-)
Thanks for all this John
If I tryit I'll let you know how it goes
I got some minimal movement in my left hand so may be able to grip a pole handle. Got no action in left arm. But something like this might wake up a neuron or two
Will keep in mind as something to explore. I m impressed with the 2.5 miles. I can do about 200 metres maybe once a week still got some foot drop issues. But I'm told the best way torelearn to walk is to walk, I can do the basics so I guess just keep on keeping on. Just over 5 years post stroke now, so will just keep plugging away.
Thanks for opening up a new possibility and best wishes for extending your range
Bw
Tony
Hi, I am 4 years post stroke. Right sided hemorrhagic stroke which has left me with left side paralysis. I have used a number of walking aids. Started with a quad stick in hospital. Transferred to single stick upon discharge from rehabilitation unit. I now walk with a single stick and an Fes machine.
More recently it was suggested by my neuro physiotherapist that I try a walking pole, as she noticed that I was leaning onto my walking stick too much and she thought the pole would be beneficial and would also be better for my posture. I do find that it keeps me more upright rather than leaning over to my right.
Recently I have been using the pole around the house and the stick if I'm going out for the evening or going shopping. I think you should do whatever works for you.
Regards Sue
Dear Prof John
I started this response to your post yesterday but when I attempted to return to it today it had disappeared, so here goes again. I had a right middle cerebral artery stroke in January 2020, at age 74, which affected my left side. I left hospital eight weeks later, still unable to walk, despite regular physiotherapy. It was the beginning of the first lockdown so it was a couple of months before I received community physiotherapy but within a few weeks, I was walking with the aid of a quad stick and a splint on my weak left leg for my footdrop, albeit with poor gait and posture. All was going well until in October 2021 I was told I had plateaued and discharged from their care. I felt a little abandoned although I was grateful for the help I'd received from them. I continued with the exercises but felt I really needed input from a professional so looked for some private neurophysiotherapy and commenced sessions with Manchester Neurotherapy Centre in April this year. It's a 40-mile round trip so I have one 90-minute session per week. After the initial assessment, the rigid splint was replaced with a Boxia AFO. I was told the aim would be to progress me from the quad stick to a hiking pole and then on to a single point stick before eventually walking without aids. I've purchased a pole but haven't used it yet in session. To be honest, I'm scared of it. The quad stick is so much more stable; I lean on it too much - I've always been told I put far too much weight through my right side. I wonder how I can overcome my fear; I'm afraid unless I do the anxiety will hold me back. At the suggestion of my physiotherapist I've just had a DEXA scan to check my bone density. I badly fractured my right ankle five weeks before my stroke. My physiotherapist would like to start work on my left arm but if I am osteoporotic, she would need to proceed with caution.
I was really very interested to read your post and article and also the other responses you've received. I'd never before heard of anyone in our position using a hiking pole and can easily understand the psychological benefits is using one as opposed to a walking stick.
Look forward to reading more on the subject.
With best wishes,
Anne S xxx
Hi is hiking pole same as those walking poles? What success are folks getting ref balance and strength?