A walking stick goes in the hand opposite your weak or painful leg, set at wrist height with your elbow slightly bent, and it moves forward with the affected leg.
Getting the hand and height wrong makes a stick feel like extra work instead of relief — held on the sore side or set too long, it pushes weight back onto the hip or knee you’re sparing. Correctly fitted, it takes load off the painful leg and widens your base of support.
Which Hand Should Hold the Walking Stick?
Hold the stick in the hand opposite your affected leg — right leg sore, left hand on the grip.
The opposite-hand position is the detail people get backwards most often. Moving the stick in step with the affected leg spreads your weight across the stick and both legs rather than dumping it onto the sore side, and keeps the stick and bad leg in the same rhythm for a stable gait. If you’re using a stick purely for balance and neither leg is weak or painful, pick whichever hand feels natural but keep the movement pattern below. Switching hands mid-walk isn’t part of the technique; clinicians expect the stick to stay on one side.
How High Should a Walking Stick Be?
Set the handle at wrist height with your arm hanging naturally, so your elbow stays slightly bent when you grip it.
Stand upright with relaxed shoulders and let the arm hang; the top of the grip should land at the crease of your wrist, with a soft elbow bend when you close your hand around it. A locked-straight arm means too tall, a sharply angled elbow too short.
What Is the Correct Walking Pattern?
- Stand balanced with the stick beside your stronger leg.
- Bring the weaker leg forward until it’s level with the stick.
- Push down through the stick and the weaker leg as you take your weight.
- Step the stronger leg forward, past the stick.
The stick lands first or at the same moment as the affected foot — never after it; that timing shares the load. With two sticks, move both forward together slightly to either side of your feet, advance the affected leg, then the unaffected one.
How Do You Handle Stairs, Chairs, and Uneven Ground?
On stairs, lead with the stronger leg going up and the affected leg going down, moving the stick last on the way up and first on the way down. Use a handrail whenever one is there.
- Going up: stronger leg first, affected leg up to the same step, then the stick.
- Going down: plant the stick firmly on the lower step away from the edge, step down with the affected leg, then bring the stronger leg down.
- Standing up: stick on the unaffected side near the chair, free hand on the chair arm — not on the stick — lean forward and push up with the chair and stronger leg. Take the stick once you’re balanced.
- Sitting down: turn until the chair presses behind both legs, reach back with the free hand, bend forward, and lower slowly.
On wet, icy, or uneven ground, shorten your steps and keep the stick in contact with the floor rather than swinging it. Move loose rugs, mats, and cables before walking a route regularly. An ice pick attachment helps on packed snow but should be retracted indoors to protect floors.
Check the rubber tip of a stick you already own — split, smooth, or worn ferrules slip without warning and are cheap to replace. For a first stick, this roundup of tested walking sticks for daily support covers grip and tip types. Supportive, non-skid shoes matter as much as the stick; open-heeled sandals and loose slippers undercut the stability you just gained.
When Should a Clinician Fit You Instead?
A stick suits people who can safely take some weight themselves. Severe weakness, major balance loss, a new injury, or an inability to bear weight calls for a physiotherapist or doctor first.
The technique here matches NHS patient education, including NHS Lanarkshire’s walking aid guidance, and covers ordinary single sticks and, with the two-stick adjustment, pairs. It does not replace individualized instruction after surgery or a fracture — follow your clinician’s directions over any general guide.
Common Questions
Can I use a walking stick on the same side as my bad leg?
Only if a clinician specifically tells you to. The accepted default is the opposite hand, because it spreads weight across the stick and both legs instead of loading the painful side. Same-side use is sometimes taught for particular conditions or after certain surgeries, so a physiotherapist’s assessment beats a general rule.
How do I know if my stick is the right height?
Stand with your arm hanging relaxed and the stick beside you. The top of the grip should sit at wrist level, and your elbow should keep a slight bend when you hold it. Straight-arm grip means it’s too tall; a bent-out elbow means it’s too short.
How often should I replace the rubber tip?
Inspect the ferrule regularly and replace it as soon as it looks split, cracked, badly worn, or smooth. A tip that has lost its tread can slide on tile or wet pavement with no warning. Replacement tips are inexpensive and fit most standard sticks.
Sources
- NHS Lanarkshire. “Walking Aids – Walking Stick.” Source for opposite-hand fitting, wrist-height adjustment, and walking pattern.
- South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. “How to use walking sticks.” Supports stair technique and two-stick guidance.