The Effect of Cane Use on Attentional Demands During Walking

We investigated the effects of cane use, lateral walking stability, and cane use practice on attentional demands during walking. Attentional demands were assessed using dual-task methodology with a reaction time (RT) task. Sixteen healthy young subjects performed the RT task during walking, before and after cane use practice under four conditions: with/without cane use while wearing normal/unstable shoes. Among normal shoe conditions, cane use resulted in longer RTs. In contrast, RTs were similar regardless of cane use in the unstable shoe conditions. Among conditions without cane use, unstable shoes resulted in longer RTs. In contrast, RTs were similar regardless of shoe type in the cane use conditions. This study suggests that using a cane during walking requires additional attention; however, the resulting attentional demands depend on walking stability.