Best Walking Stick For Elderly For Your Morning Walks!

The best walking stick for elderly can help the baby boomers generation.

They may be aging, but their interest in remaining active is increasing [1]. Since walking is the most natural movement there is, it’s also among the most popular physical exercises in the population.

But since walking alone may be insufficient to get the fullest health benefits from physical exercise, the interest in walking sticks or poles is also on the rise among the elderly.

This isn’t surprising as the best walking stick for elderly provides several benefits that make walking more enjoyable and less stressful, especially on the joints.

These benefits range from adjustable heights, shock-absorbing springs, and comfortable handles to rubber ferrules, carbide tips, and mud basket for use in various terrain.

According to the Mayo Clinic [2], even a daily brisk walk can contribute to the enjoyment of a healthier mind and body.

Brisk walking, such as Nordic walking on city parks and pavements, is essential in maintaining a healthy weight, strengthening the bones and muscles, and improving mood, coordination, and balance.

Indeed, it’s a safe and effective way of reducing the risk and symptoms of chronic degenerative diseases, such as heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and hypertension.

In our walking stick for seniors review, we will take a look at eight possible contenders as the best walking stick for elderly:

Essential Information About Walking Sticks for the Elderly

The product descriptions including pros and cons discussed in the next section of our walking stick for elderly review will make more sense with the following discussion about these products.

Notable Differences between Walking Cane and Stick

While the terms “walking sticks” and “walking canes” are often used interchangeably, these are two distinct products although both are considered as mobility aids.

Both products are also suitable for use among the elderly.

Walking canes, on the one hand, are primarily designed to provide more excellent stability and support for their users, thus, their broader tips, larger handles, and wide shafts.

These are also constructed to carry more bodyweight, especially as their users may lean on them while walking.

Since a person usually only carries one cane, it’s held to the body’s side while walking.

It may also be covered by insurance since these have a more medical use.

Walking sticks, on the other hand, are mainly used to maintain a right balance and rhythm while walking.

These are useful in reducing the risk of tripping, sliding and stumbling over small hazards on uneven terrain (i.e., hiking).

These are typically used in pairs and, as such, are usually held in front of its user while walking.

Due to their recreational nature, walking sticks aren’t covered by medical insurance.

Their prices may also be higher than those for canes because of their extra features, such as replaceable tips and handles, wrist straps, and even LED lights.

Which one is the best for you? You as well as your doctor and physical therapist has to discuss which one suits your mobility needs.

You may need a cane for regular walking, especially after recovering from an injury or illness, but you may also require walking sticks for your brisk walking sessions in the morning.

Tips On Choosing The Best Walking Stick For Elderly

We also want to emphasize that the following tips for choosing the right walking stick [3] for seniors are also applicable for younger people.

The key here is that the walking poles work as well as you expect them to be.

While a relatively heavy walking poles seem sensible, it isn’t when you’re lifting them hundreds of times during your morning walk.

Your arms will eventually become tired even before you have finished with your route so you may just cut your brisk walk short.

You must also consider your physical condition when choosing walking sticks based on the poles’ weight. 

You may, for example, prefer more massive poles since these serve as your arm weights. 

The 1-piece walking poles are the easiest to assemble and use, but these may also be more difficult to fold into a more compact size for transport and storage.

The 2-piece and 3-piece walking sticks require little assembly, usually just the attachment of the bottom accessories and the height, but these are also as easy to use as the 1-piece types.

These can even be folded into several sections for strapping to your bag or storing in your trunk.

Between these three types, we recommend the 2-piece and 3-piece poles if your morning walks are more vigorous than a leisurely stroll around the park.

These walking poles are the strongest and stiffest sticks, so these are more suitable for seniors who tend to lean harder and longer on their poles.

Each of the elements of the walking poles should contribute to its overall comfort when in use.

Aside from the adjustable height, the poles should have ergonomic grips made of a durable and comfortable material, such as foam, cork or rubber.

The poles may or may not have anti-shock mechanism, usually a spring mechanism that can be turned on and off, depending on where you like to enjoy your morning walks.

The mechanism partly absorbs the vibrations when the pole’s bottom part makes contact with the ground, thus, lessening the stress placed on your hand, arms and shoulders.

Here’s an instructional video that we believe can help.

Based on the abovementioned beneficial features, we have chosen the following eight walking poles that may benefit the brisk walking needs of baby boomers.

With the built-in anti-shock spring in each pole, your knees will be less subjected to pressure since you have the poles to lean on that, in turn, absorb some of the vibrations from the impact.

The poles are made of aviation aluminum alloy, among the strongest yet lightest material for walking sticks.

Aluminum, in fact, is the material used in all of the walking poles in our list; carbon fiber poles may be lighter but when these crack even slightly, these are considered unusable due to the high risk of breaking while in use.

But when used during your morning walks, you will likely find that it’s a reliable pair of walking poles.

These are made of sturdy aluminum alloy, too, while the large handgrips and wrist straps are comfortable to use.

You can rely on them to act like extra legs in securing a better foothold on the ground, especially as these have anti-skid rubber ferrules.

But if you’re the type of likes to walk on more difficult terrain aside from pavements, then be sure to use the carbide tips.

These are suitable for rocky and gravelly dirt paths but not for muddy ground.

Check our full review here

The sturdy aluminum poles can withstand your daily brisk walks on most types of terrain due to their heavy-duty quality.

The anti-shock springs absorb some of the vibrations when the poles hit the ground, so there’s less shock transference to your knees and shoulders.

The handgrips and handle are relatively comfortable to use in most types of weather although prolonged use eventually reveals that the handle material cuts into your palm.

Check our full review here

When extended, the poles’ length ranges from 42.5 to 53 inches while each pole weighs a fantastic 9 ounces only.

The set also comes with two removable and replaceable rubber ferrules and mud/snow baskets. Thus, you can use the poles on most types of terrain.

The rubber poles are best for smooth surfaces, such as pavements, while the carbide tips work great for uneven terrain and the mud baskets for softer ground.

Check our full review here

The aluminum poles are also stronger and sturdier than carbon fiber so these can withstand the impact and pressure of thousands of steps taken during its lifetime.

Just be careful not to abuse them as these can also break in two. You can also change the height using its telescoping mechanism, from 24. 5 to 54 inches – and relatively easy, too, thanks to its level locks system.

Check our full review here

Our suggestion: Use these on smooth surfaces, especially when you have joint problems.

Fortunately, such a disadvantage is offset by the sturdy and robust quality of these walking poles. You should be able to use them for several years with proper care.

Plus, the 7.6-ounce weight for each pole is among the lightest yet, a feature that benefits older adults with arm and hand issues.

You can also shorten and lengthen the poles from 24 to 54 inches depending on your preference.

You can also rely on the extended handle, a useful feature when you’re tackling steep terrain, and you don’t want to adjust the poles’ length.

These are also equipped with rubber ferrules for a secure grip on smooth surfaces and mud/snow baskets to prevent tipping over on softer ground.

We like the anti-shock mechanism because of its satisfactory shock absorption quality on uneven ground. 

But it may not work as well on more difficult terrain, which may or may not be an issue depending on the terrain you like to take.

Our Recommended Product

In our walking pole for seniors review, we always emphasized the fact that the poles should meet the needs and wants of seniors who may have joint issues on their knees, shoulders, and arms.

Their needs will obviously be different from those of younger people in favorable condition who like to take the backcountry routes for trekking and hiking.

With this in mind, we chose only the poles that are comfortable to use for seniors based on our testing.

In our opinion, the best walking stick for elderly is the pair of TrailBuddy Walking Sticks.

These are made of lightweight yet durable and sturdy 7075 aluminum poles, the preferred material, and can be adjusted in length to suit most individuals.

These are also comfortable in the hands even after an hour of brisk walking and can be used on a wide range of terrain by changing the bottom part.

Of course, one of the other five walking poles can also be your choice! Just as with all products, your personal preferences and experiences are the best measures of choosing the best for your use.

Additional Resources

[1] https://www.aarp.org/health/healthy-living/info-06-2011/walking-poles-help-boomers-stay-active.html
[2] https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/walking/art-20046261
[3] https://www.thegoldenconcepts.com/blogs/news/15708380-choosing-the-right-walking-stick