This study investigates the influence of cane length on the weight distribution of the elderly in a standing position. Thirty participants were evaluated using two different cane lengths based on measurements of distal wrist crease to ground (WC cane), and distance of greater trochanter to ground (GT cane). A limloader was used to determine the weight distribution on the subject. It was found that 6.5% of body weight was supported on a GT cane and 7.7% of body weight supported on a WC cane in a standing position. Results suggests that more weight is distributed on a WC cane than a GT cane in the elderly.

Two standard methods of cane length measurements were compared to find which methods really achieve the elbow flexion of 20 degrees to 30 degrees Twenty-four patients with hemiplegia who were ambulatory participated in this study. Method I : Length of the cane measured from the floor to the top of the greater trochanter. Method II : Length of the cane measured from the floor to the distal wrist crease with the arm at the side. Using an adjustable cane, each individual was fitted according to the two methods, and elbow angle was measured after each adjustment. The elbow angle according to Method I and Method II was , , respectively. No significant difference was found in the elbow angle or the cane length between the two methods. Of the 24 participants, 5(20.8%) measured according to method I and 3(12.5%) measured according to method II showed the elbow angle between 20 degrees and 30 degrees. These low predictive rates of agreement between ideal cane length and actually achieved elbow angle showed that these two methods which have conventionally been accepted as a standard to measure ideal cane length need to be revised through further research.