Canes
involvement of the hip joint is the example most commonly used to demonstrate the effectiveness of a small force through a long lever arm, this type of reduction in axial load is also helpful when the knee joint or the spine is involved. A cane in the contralateral hand can unload the medial knee compartment, and a forwardly placed aid can be expected to unload the anterior component of a thoracic vertebra that has undergone a recent wedge compression fracture, such as that caused by osteoporosis.
