Explore how your ability to control your body changes over consecutive hiking days.
Background and Objective
Hiking can be a demanding form of exercise that may cause
Delayed changes in postural muscles
Decrease in information from the body to the brain, particularly when repeatedly performed for several days. These effects may negatively influence the postural control of hikers.
The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of a four-day hike on postural control.
Methods (What was done and who was involved)
26 adults (males and females) were included in this study after meeting inclusion criteria including a trial 2-day hike to prove they could hike at a minimum, elite standard.
The participants were an average age of 32.6 years-old, weighed an average of 78.4kg and were an average of 1.74m tall. No information was provided about their years of experience hiking or other defining characteristics.
During the study, participants traveled 262 kilometers over the four days, stopping for lunch and resting in the early evening each day. Participants were limited to a standardized 6.5 hours of sleep each night.
Force platforms/plates were used to collect desired data for 70 seconds. Participants stood without shoes, with eyes open and arms hanging at their side. Data was collected before hiking started and immediately after arriving at the rest station each day. Data was analyzed to determine postural sway or how much the body moved side to side and forward and backwards when trying to stand still.
Of note, during the hike the participants were accompanied by a support team of physicians, physiotherapists and physical education teachers.
Results
General Fatigue
Significant changes in global stabilization ability were found in both the forward and backwards AND side to side directions. These results indicate an impairment in postural control, likely due to the negative effects of general fatigue such as physiological (body processes at a cellular level) effects, the presence of metabolic products and the effects of decreased sleep. Inadequate sleep can influence the recovery of the physiological systems.
Any exercise that includes the body as whole, especially over a prolonged time, induces physiological, cellular level, changes with important impacts on the musculoskeletal system (muscle, tendons, ligaments) that likely decrease the effectiveness of postural control mechanisms.
Local Fatigue
Four days of hiking appeared to cause fatigue of the ankle and lower leg stabilizers (calves and anterior tibialis plantar and the hip adductor (groin muscles) and abductor muscles (outside of the hips) contributing to impairments in postural stabilization ability.
Key Takeaways
This study provides evidence that in elite hikers prolonged hiking induced significant declines of the postural stabilization mechanisms resulting in changes in the ability to control forward and backwards and side to side stabilization movements.
Changes are due to the effects of general body fatigue, local muscle fatigue and other mechanisms.
Advice: Exercises addressing balance and muscular endurance, especially of the lower leg and hip muscles, should be a part of your preparation program.
Citation: Vieira MF, de Avelar IS, Silva MS, Soares V, Lobo da Costa PH. Effects of four days hiking on postural control. PLoS One. 2015;10(4):e0123214. Published 2015 Apr 22. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0123214
Access the full article here.
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