To walk with a cane, hold it in the hand opposite your weaker or more painful leg, move the cane forward, bring the weaker leg level with it, then step through with your stronger leg. The handle should sit level with the crease of your wrist when you stand tall with your arm hanging by your side. The video also works on two parts of each step that physios often coach: landing on the heel and pushing off from the ball of the foot.

How to do the walking with a cane

Stand tall with the cane in the hand on the side of your stronger leg, so it works opposite the weaker one. Check the height before you set off: the handle should line up with your wrist crease while your arm hangs down.
Move the cane a short way forward and set its rubber tip down firmly, just ahead of you and a little out to the side of your foot.
Step your weaker leg forward so it lands level with the cane. Lean on the cane as much as you need while that leg takes your weight.
Now step your stronger leg forward, past the weaker one, so it lands a little in front. This is called a step-through pattern.
As each foot comes forward, pull the toes up so the heel touches down first. As the foot leaves the floor behind you, let the heel lift and the knee soften, and push off from the ball of the foot.
Keep going: cane, weaker leg, stronger leg, at a steady pace. Over time, try to make the push-off and the heel landing flow into one smooth movement.

What you should feel

Steady support from the cane each time the weaker leg takes your weight. You may notice the calf working as you push off and the front of the shin as you lift your toes. With practice you stop counting the steps in your head, and it starts to feel like ordinary walking.

Common mistakes

Holding the cane on the same side as the weaker leg.
Planting the cane too far ahead or too far out to the side, so you have to reach for it.
Carrying the cane in the air instead of setting it down with each step.
Shuffling on flat feet, with no heel landing and no push-off.

How often

Many programs use short practice walks of 2 to 5 minutes, or a few lengths of a hallway, once or twice a day, adding time as the pattern becomes smooth. Your physio will adjust this.

Stop and check with your physio if

You feel dizzy, lightheaded, faint or sick, or the room seems to spin. Hold your support, sit down and get medical advice the same day before you practice again. If you faint, it does not settle within a few minutes of sitting still, your vision suddenly blurs or goes double, or you cannot stand or walk steadily, call emergency services.
You stumble, your leg gives way, or you have to grab something to stay upright. Stop and sit down.
Your calf or thigh becomes swollen, warm, tender, red or darker than usual, or has a throbbing or cramping pain that feels different from normal muscle ache. Stop and get medical advice the same day, as this can be a blood clot. If you are also short of breath or have chest pain, call emergency services.
New or much worse pain in your hip, knee or ankle that changes the way you walk.
Since the fracture or cast, the foot or ankle is getting more painful rather than less, the skin becomes very sensitive to light touch, or the foot changes color, temperature, swelling or sweating compared with the other one, or looks shiny. See your doctor or physio as soon as you can, within a few days at most, as this can be complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and early treatment may help.
You have had a fall or an injury and now have severe hip pain, or you cannot walk or put weight on the leg. Call emergency services or go to an emergency department. This can be a sign of a broken hip (hip fracture).

From the clinic

The voice guide matches what NHS physiotherapy leaflets teach. The cane goes in the hand opposite the weaker or painful leg, and moves forward first, followed by that leg (South Tees Hospitals). The handle sits level with your wrist crease when you stand with your arm by your side (Guy's and St Thomas'). If you use the cane for general steadiness rather than for one leg, NHS Lanarkshire says to hold it in whichever hand feels more comfortable. Check the rubber tip (ferrule) often, and replace it once it is worn or split.

If you have broken a bone in your leg or had an operation on it, follow the weight-bearing plan your surgeon or physio gave you. Do not swap crutches or a frame for a single cane until they tell you that you are ready. If your weaker leg is the result of a stroke or another nerve condition, ask your physio to set up this walking pattern with you.

Practice first along a clear hallway or beside a kitchen counter, with a chair waiting at the far end so you can rest. Wear flat shoes that fit well and grip the floor, not socks, tights or bare feet. If you have fallen in the past year or feel unsteady, ask another adult to stay close by while you practice, and mention it to your physio, who can look at what is making you unsteady.

A sudden loss of balance is different. Call emergency services straight away for any sign of a stroke, even if it goes away: sudden dizziness with unsteadiness or falling over, a face that droops on one side, an arm you cannot lift or keep up, slurred or muddled speech, weakness or numbness on one side of your body or face, sudden blurred vision, double vision or loss of sight, or a sudden severe headache.

Once this pattern feels smooth, your physio may add walking with longer steps or walking with head turns, keeping the cane if you still need it.

Written and checked by the PocketPhysio editorial team. Last updated 2026-09-28.

This page is general education, not a diagnosis or a personal treatment plan. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, see a physiotherapist or doctor before starting new exercises.

Walking with a cane