A neurologist-designed walking stick
As a retired neurologist from forty years of patient care I found myself on rehabilitation after a hip replacement, One month after graduating from a two hands walker, I started a daily experimentation with the canes and crutches suggested by my physical therapist but also with a walking stick I had owned before. That casual walking stick made from a rare Caribbean cane, ended up being the only aid I used for all my walking at home and outside, for going up and down the stairs, for standing from a kneeling or low sitting position; and when the time came, the greatest companion and assistant for walking outdoors. I never went back to the cane.
The only problem with my stick was that it could not be duplicated, It took months to identify the species and the origin is still unknown to me. The stick was right for my height but it did not have a knob at the top for pushing down or sensing the incline or the stairs and I have to wrap the handle with tape for a firmer grip.
During the five or six months of moving around with my stick I began to ponder the best features for a walking stick for the handicap and to check whether that product was already available in the market. I searched the Internet, bought four of the best models and I found al of them lacking. The synthetics with adjustable features were flimsy and poor ground sensors, the wood ones while better sensors, usually heavy and lacking in handle designs for knob and grooves. None paid much attention to individual heights. And even less to style.
At the same time, I also remembered my frustration, as a practicing neurologist, when I wanted to recommend my patients to use a walking stick instead of a cane. But the item "walking stick aid" does not exist as a medical brand with defined specs. If we advised a walking stick we never knew what the patient will actually get in an "sporting goods store". It could be unsafe, ridiculous or a weapon of biblical proportions. Most patients did not want to be seen with them and regressed to the pathetic downward posture of canes, perhaps because of reimbursement by Medicare.
Maintaining upright posture, optimizing balance, and avoiding falls and nerve injuries are all concerns for doctors in neurology. Today, a neurologist designed walking staff has not been reported and is not available in the market. Thus I found myself with a task in my lap i.e. design it myself or find out why it was never made before.
TO BE CONTINUED in the page "The new SherpaStaff.