Discover when to use hiking poles and when to skip them.
Background and Objective
Hiking is a common activity that provides numerous health benefits such as
Reduced risk of heart disease
Reduced blood pressure
improved cardiorespiratory fitness
The use of trekking poles has become popular with the aim of alleviating sore knees and increasing balance and stability.
This review provides an overview of physiological and biomechanical changes when trekking poles are used during outdoor activities. It also discusses the real-world implications of the use of trekking poles.
Methods (What was done and who was involved)
Numerous databases including Google Scholar, PubMed, ScienceDirect and the authors’ associated university library catalogues were searched for literature published between 1980 and 2019. The keywords used to search the literature were: hiking poles, trekking poles, and Nordic walking and their combination with physiological responses, ground reaction forces, joint forces, spatiotemporal parameters, kinematics, electromyography, and/or balance. The related topics included biomechanics, sports science, and wilderness medicine.
Results
During free, unloaded walking, users should compare the cost and benefit of using poles.
Trekking poles decrease lower extremity loading and forces but increase cardiovascular demand likely due to use of the arms and upper body.
Despite increased cardiovascular demand, participants reported a lower level of exertion (how hard they felt they were working) when using poles.
When carrying a large external load (ie-backpack), trekking poles offer benefit by decreasing lower extremity muscle activity and increasing balance and stability.
Key Takeaways
Studies included in this review support that using trekking poles
Increases the body’s physiological responses (heart rate, oxygen consumption and utilization, energy expenditure) while
Decreasing biomechanical responses (joint loading forces, joint moments) and subjective responses (delayed onset muscle soreness and rate of perceived exertion).
Do you hike without a backpack?
During free, unloaded walking, consider the cost vs. benefit of using trekking poles. Using poles under this circumstance decreases loading and forces through the legs but increases cardiovascular demand. A decision should be made according to the individual’s current fitness level and presence or absence of any lower body injuries or conditions.
Do you hike with a backpack?
When carrying an external load such as a backpack, the use of trekking poles may be beneficial as they decrease lower body muscle demand and increase balance and stability, with no meaningful differences in the body’s physiological responses.
Questions about this study or how to use hiking poles? Let us know!
Citation: Hawke, A. L., & Jensen, R. L. (2020). Are Trekking Poles Helping or Hindering Your Hiking Experience? A Review. Wilderness & environmental medicine, 31(4), 482–488. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wem.2020.06.009
Access the full article here.
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