After the 4th knee surgery, I found out any flowing water higher than mid-shin was going to cause trouble. Thought about buying a collapsable wading staff but heard complaints about breaking them down with sections getting stuck. Also considered a telescoping hiking pole.
Before I made a decision, my neighbor gave me his Folstaff (he said he doesn't use it because of the sticking issue) to try out on the Madison - first time I used it (worked great by the way; got me to some parts of the river I wouldn't have dreamed of crossing unaided) sure enough I couldn't break it down all the way. Looked around for something to grasp it with (Seal-Dri waders would have been perfect for this; they were certainly useless for pretty much anything else fishing related unless you were looking to sweat off about 15 lbs on an average day); couldn't find anything so decided to tap the offending sections on a rock (plenty of them around) and voila, it separated.
When I was back at the truck in the evening packing up my gear, I saw another guy with a Folstaff and asked him what he did; he said he tapped it on a rock, too, worked like a charm. I guess as long as one doesn't get too carried away and permanently deforms the tube with excessive force, this is a viable option. I may also cut sections from an old inner tube and throw them in my vest to get a better grip on things.

Regards,
Scott