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The show House has advisors to keep the show’s medical references accurate, but has anyone ever addressed the matter of House’s improper use of the cane? I had wondered about it myself a time or two, but didn’t pay that much attention because it’s not my area of expertise. But I just got a message from a real-life physical therapist, Dee Dee, so tells us the real scoop about proper cane usage:
I have been watching House since it premiered. I am a Physical Therapist by trade and watching House ambulate with his cane has bothered me since it first came on tv. I was taught in PT school (by lecture, by demonstration and by complicated math problelms) that you always carry your assistive device (i.e. cane) in the hand opposite the injury. House should be using the cane in his left hand NOT his right one. By using the cane that way, it applies less stress and weight on the injured limb, so less pain. Thanks.
Thanks, Dee Dee for the correct information!!
I tend to be generous with these sorts of things when watching TV shows, because without the info from professionals like Dee Dee I wouldn’t really know the difference anyway and I watch the show for the characters.
But now that we know the real cane scoop, what do you think of this information? Does it bother you to know that no one has corrected this? Does it matter to you at all? Leave a comment to share your thoughts!
All people with 2 good legs gather in one room! I’ll smash each of you in one knee with a crowbar, give you a cane, then set the building on fire. While you’re exiting the building…pay attention to what hand you use the cane in.
All you PT’s, PhD’s & others with 2 good legs telling us to use a cane on the strong side make me sick.
random: You may a point there. I didn’t know that he had a shoulder injury.
I am a PT who happens to be stuck watching a House marathon with my girlfriend. Obviously it took me about 5 seconds to point out that House is using his cane on the wrong side. Since I am watching the 5th straight episode and I am bored to tears, I had to search this on the internet. I am glad I did, these responses have been more entertaining than the show. Anyways, a comment on the topic of the cane from a PT:
Simple math can prove how using a cane on the opposite side reduces the compressive forces on your hip joint and increases your base of support making it easier to balance. I show all of my patients the correct way to use a cane. I also respect the fact that it is not my leg, my cane, or my life. If someone wants to use a cane improperly, that is their choice and honestly I don’t give a damn because I have more important things to deal with during the day. I also don’t want to hear any bitching about back pain that is the result of walking like an idiot because you refuse to use a cane properly.
For some reason I think Dr. House would agree with my opinion.
House is using the cane on the correct side for his particular injury. That is just what happens- the injured person will do what helps them the most, doctors and PTs be damned.
I also carry my cane in my right hand, for my right leg. If I carry it in my left hand, I can’t walk.
Jane,
I use it because my hip and knee are weak from using an artificial sweetener( sucralose). While I haven’t had a large portion of muscle removed, I might as well have, since the connective tissue is now mush, and doesn’t support my weight well. When I try to use the cane on the weak side, it is very painful. When I use it on the opposite side, I am able to put weight on it to walk.
When I see him walk with the cane on the injured side, it looks really fake. FYI.
The fact he uses the cane isn’t just because of pain. The character had a large portion of muscle removed from his right thigh so it’s not to take the weight off, he uses it to compensate for the missing muscle and weakness.
If you use the cane improperly as House does , then you’re NOT hurt and you DONT need a cane you phonys!
Daniel,
I think it just depends on why you are using the cane. Injuries differ, and putting weight on different parts of the leg probably change the way we depend on the cane. For me, it did help to use the cane on the opposite side from the injured leg. On the few occasions that I tried to use it on the same side as the injured leg I was unable to lean my weight on the cane. I was not going with a general consensus, I was just getting though each day the best I could. I think you are over-intellectualizing this.
On the matter of which hand House uses his cane in:
I was wondering, how many PT teachers have actually gone through the pain of having a leg and back injury? I can say for myself, that despite whatever the MSPT claims is less pain, I can say for myself that it is much easier for me to walk with much less pain if I have the can on my injured side, keeping the cane always at my right foot. The illustrious PT has argued that i am in more pain if i do that, but its seems that its not the case. Close mindedness leads to stagnancy. Dependency on textbooks ends after class is over.
SuseM:
Your son is sooo right!!! House is such a wonderful character. ;-)
~~ Lynn
I’ve only been using a cane for about a month, since doing connective tissue damage through overuse of an artificial sweetener. When it became impossible to put weight on my left hip and knee, I began using a cane. Not knowing how to properly use it, I did an internet search and began following the instructions, which were to use the opposite hand from the injured leg. It has helped me a lot, and I don’t need it as much now, but that was the first thing I noticed after beginning to use it- that House was using it incorrectly, according to most experts, anyway.
I yelled out, “Hey, he’s using the cane wrong!”, to which my son replied, “yeah, but even if he knows that, he’d still be rebellious and use it the wrong way”.
Gotta love him!
That pretty much sums it up, doesn’t it?
I have had a cane for nearly a year now. I can not use it on my left for very long (despite my PT warnings, my arm just can’t tolerate it much).
house uses his right instead of left cuz he has a lacrosse injury in his left shoulder blade.
I have arthritis pain in my right hip and use a cane on my right (dominant) side. I feel less steady with the cane in my left hand and I can take more weight off my hip by using it on the same side.
I, too use a cane in my right hand, and my injury is on the right side. I have tried it on the left, but can’t make the adjustment, so I intend to use it in my right hand forever.
I’d use the cane like House does it, not because House is House (or Hugh Laurie), just because it seems right that way!
I think and hope that HOUSE will continue for several more seasons. If this is true, I don’t think Hugh should use the cane and rock all the time.
It will cause permanent damage. He recently said that he can’t play the piano for very long because his neck starts hurting. I wonder if that is from the cane or if he had that before? I think I sent Lynn that article.
You know, I read at House´s Forum at Fox.com that yes, House uses his cane on the wrong way on purpose, but I also read that, ( and I am NOT a Physic Therapist) if the injury is ABOVE the knee, you gotta use the cane with the hand of the injuried leg, because your knee is fine, it can “handle” the balance of your body.
But if the injury is below the knee, you can´t put your weight on it, because it´ll hurt and PAIN even more.
(People, sorry if that´s anything written wrong here, English is not my mother language =S sorry. )
I’m with everyone else and think it is silly that “Dee Dee” didn’t think the show knew exactly what it was doing. I saw/read the same interviews mentioned above where Hugh said the things about House doing things HIS way and them annoying physical therapists. :D Not an issue at all.
In an interview with Jay Leno, Hugh Laurie addressed using the cane in the wrong hand–yep, on purpose! He said he did it simply to “annoy physical therapists.” Gotta love him!