Affinty Swan Neck Cane

From the manufacturer

The swan neck is the whole point of this stick, and it is a genuine biomechanical difference rather than a styling choice. On a straight cane, the handle sits offset from the shaft, so the user's hand is not directly above the point of ground contact. Their weight travels down through an offset, which produces a bending moment through the shaft and a rotational force at the wrist — and it means the stick tends to skid forward when loaded hard. The swan neck curve brings the handle back over the centre line of the shaft, so load passes straight down through the stick. That reduces wrist strain and makes the stick more stable at the moment the user actually needs it, which is when they are putting real weight through it. That makes it a better choice than a straight cane for a client who genuinely weight-bears through the stick, rather than using it for light balance cueing — and particularly for a client with wrist pain, arthritis or reduced grip strength. Height is the thing to get right, and it is got wrong constantly. Set the handle level with the client's wrist crease when they stand upright with arms relaxed at their sides, wearing the shoes they actually wear. Too tall and the shoulder rides up and the elbow cannot extend to take load; too short and they lean forward, which pushes their centre of mass toward the direction they are most likely to fall. The comfort rubber handle matters for a client with arthritis — a hard handle concentrates pressure into the palm and can make a stick genuinely painful to use for any distance, which is a common reason one gets abandoned in a hallway. A non-slip ferrule is fitted. Ferrules wear out and are the part that causes falls when they do; they should be checked at every review and replaced when the tread is gone.

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