A Comparison of Methods for Estimating the Proper Cane Length for Hemiplegic Patients

성인편마비환자의 지팡이 길이 측정법 비교

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 $46.4{\pm}20$, $44.3{\pm}12.2$, 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.