In which hand to take the cane? (Dialogue between an orthopedist and a biomechanic)

Abstract

Orthopedist. In our previous conversation, when we talked about gentle claudication, you said that the patient chooses the optimal walking conditions for himself.
Biomechanic. Yes, it minimizes (as much as possible) the pain that occurs when you load the leg.
О. But by unloading the diseased leg, it overloads the healthy leg. And with a chronic process, the healthy leg will eventually become sore, too. Then what kind of "optimum" are we talking about?
B. That's right. We call optimal the regime that suits the organism the most at a given moment. The patient doesn't know what will happen to him tomorrow, but today he successfully solves the problem - he walks the distance from point "A" to point "B" with minimal pain.

Keywords

gentle limp / cane / walking / sore leg / support

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