Walking in Step – Why Does It Matter?

Proper cane technique is walking with the cane on the opposite side as the forward foot (being “in step”) – the cane checks the surface where the next foot will land. When approaching an edge from an oblique angle, being “out of step” can mean walking over the edge without warning.

Illustrated below: Walking toward an oblique edge “in step” and “out of step.” In both instances, the cane movement is the same – at the first step, the cane is near the edge, then the cane is moved to the left away from the edge, and the third and last step the cane goes to the left over the edge.

Walking "in step" (correct technique): When the cane is on the user’s right (near the edge) the user’s forward foot is on the left. At the second step, the cane is on the user’s left and her forward foot is her right foot. The last step, the cane goes over the edge at the same time that her left foot steps forward, safely on the platform.

Walking "out of step" (incorrect technique): When the cane is on the user’s right (near the edge), the user’s forward foot is also on her right. At the second step, the cane and the forward foot are both on the user’s left (away from the edge). The last step, the cane and her foot both go over the edge together, with no warning.

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