How can a cane help me if I freeze while walking?

Shelley Peterman Schwarz

Neurology

If you use a cane with a small golf club-type protrusion at the bottom, it can make walking easier because it tricks your mind into thinking you’re stepping over something. Take a collapsible cane with you when you walk. When you freeze, assemble the cane and gently kick the end near the floor.

More About this Book

Parkinson's Disease (300 Tips for Making Life Easier)

Being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease can be distressing, and adjusting to the effects of the disease can be difficult. The second edition of Parkinson's Disease: 300 Tips for Making Life Easier...

Continue Learning about Physical Disabilities

What do Winston Churchill and James Earl Jones have in common besides a deep voice and a robust stature? They were both stutterers. Stuttering that l...

Dr. Daniel R. Spogen, MD

It is difficulty to say how long speech therapy treatment will last. Some problems can be fixed fair...

Betty Long, RN, MHA

Search online using your state name and “handicapped parking placard” for your state's requirements....

Louis Rosner

Kurtzke Disability Status Scale (DSS) clearly has its shortcomings. First, some read it to suggest a...

Important: This content reflects information from various individuals and organizations and may offer alternative or opposing points of view. It should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. As always, you should consult with your healthcare provider about your specific health needs.

Physical Disabilities

Physical disabilities can be sensory, where there are problems with sight, hearing or speech, or they may impair motor function, so that movement is restricted or imprecise. Injuries may cause a disability, and disease such as a heart condition may also make normal exertion impossible. Some disabilities start at birth - congenital disabilities. Others are acquired during life. If you have a disability, it is almost certain that there are many others who do also. Most conditions have support groups or associations that have grown up relating to the problem. These groups may offer specialized help to minimize the effect of the condition.

Learn More