I fear, I was awfully late in copping on to the advantages of these and that probably most of the rest of you use these, but just in case you don’t, permit me now to wax lyrical about them.
I bought my first pair last weekend. The Leki ones and indeed the ones with a handle on the top as walking as if holding a bottle of water in each hand is a little sore for me, so it’s useful to have a change of hand position too.
Primarily when I walk I suffer hip cramping and spasms which can take my breath away sometimes given their intensity. I also suffer persistent lumbar back pain. And of course a knee can ache, or an ankle or a foot depending on what PsA decides to inflame on any given day.
My happy place though is walking my dog in the countryside. It’s essential for my sanity frankly. My judgement on how well I’m doing PsA wise is always based on how good am I doing at walking my dog. I don’t much care about much else.
Well I can tell with the addition of walking poles, I’ve suddenly discovered I can walk further and faster and that my hip cramping is minimal and my lumbar back pain more manageable and my knees feel better. And my dog is now confused as he was used to me stopping a lot, waiting for a spasm to pass and suddenly I’m not doing that much anymore.
We’re both delighted. Just thought I’d share something so simple which is so incredibly positive for me. The poles though were expensive but worth every penny.
